Distributed order equations as boundary value problems

This is a PDF version of a preprint submitted to Elsevier. The definitive version was published in Computers and mathematics with applications and is available at www.elsevier.comThis preprint discusses the existence and uniqueness of solutions and proposes a numerical method for their approximation in the case where the initial conditions are not known and, instead, some Caputo-type conditions are given away from the origin

Treeless vegetation of the Australian Alps

Based on 1222 floristic quadrat samples, 56 plant communities were identified in treeless vegetation in the Australian Alps of south-eastern Australia. (c. 35º 30´–38ºS, 146°–149°E). The study encompassed vegetation from above the upper limit of trees on mountain tops (i.e. the truly alpine environment) and below the inverted treeline in subalpine valleys. Generally, grasslands develop on deep humus soils, heathlands occur on shallower or rocky soils, and wetland communities are found in places of permanent or intermittent wetness. Duration of snow cover, lithology, altitude and exposure are also important determinants of the spatial arrangement of communities. Broadly, communities within a geographic region are more closely related to each other than to communities of similar structure or dominants from other geographic areas. Many communities are either very localised or are widespread with a small area of occupancy. Fourteen communities are probably eligible for listing as threatened, either alone or as aggregates with associated communities. A total of 710 native taxa from 82 families has been recorded. There is a high level of endemism – 30% of taxa are ± restricted to treeless vegetation in the Australia Alps and a further 14% are ± restricted to treeless vegetation but occur in mountain areas outside the Australian mainland (e.g. Tasmania and New Zealand). Thirteen taxa are listed in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 as threatened and a further 18 taxa are identified that may be eligible for listing as threatened nationally. 131 non-native taxa have been recorded in natural vegetation. Treeless vegetation has been intensively utilised since European settlement, initially as summer pastures for cattle and sheep but more recently as water catchments for electricity production and as tourist attractions both in winter and summer. Many communities are slowly recovering from past pressures and from the fires of 2003, which burnt most of the area for the first time since 1939. The treeless vegetation of the Australian Alps faces an uncertain future because of increased pressure from tourism and the unknown impacts of global warming

Fractional boundary value problems: Analysis and numerical methods

This is the author's PDF of an article published in Fractional calculus and applied analysis 2011. The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comThis journal article discusses nonlinear boundary value problems.Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologi

La nouvelle justice naturelle : l'administrateur « équitable et raisonnable »

This paper, based on a public lecture given in October, 1979, at the Faculty of Law of Laval University, gives an account of recent developments in English administrative law concerning the concepts of fairness and reasonableness. Tracing back the origins of the concept of fairness and its revival in Ridge v. Baldwin, the paper illustrates its current use by discussing several recent cases where Lord Denning's thinking appears to have had a strong influence. The contents of the administrator's duty to act fairly is described by the metaphor of a sliding scale allowing for a great diversity of requirements to suit the variety of statutory contexts. As to the concept of reasonableness, the paper brings out its close affinities with private law, and its progressive introduction as a standard by which courts rule on the legality of administrative decisions. This process has recently culminated in the Tameside and Laker cases, which are discussed at length. Both fairness and reasonableness may be shown to have rough equivalents in other European legal systems. The recent case of R. v. Barnsley Borough Council, ex p. Hook may point to another ground for cross-influences between English, French and German administrative law, especially in the context of EEC law : a concept of « proportionality » may be emerging in England — a distant outgrowth of the prohibition against « excessive fines » and « cruel and unusual punishment » in the Bill of Rights

Formality or Informality. A Case-Study of British National Insurance Local Tribunal Procedure and Practice

Cet article est divisé en deux parties. Dans la première (et de loin la plus longue) partie, l'auteur expose le processus décisionnel de règlement des litiges en matière de prestations de sécurité sociale en droit anglais. Après avoir exposé la hiérarchie ascendante des autorités décisionnelles (fonctionnaire, tribunal administratif local et commissaire), l'auteur analyse la procédure suivie par ces différentes autorités. Il décrit ainsi successivement l'étape de la décision initiale par le fonctionnaire compétent, celle de l'appel du tribunal et enfin celle de l'appel ultérieur au commissaire. Toutefois, la plus grande partie de l'exposé vise le fonctionnement du tribunal. La première partie de l'article traite également du rôle du ministre ainsi que celui dévolu aux cours de justice en ce domaine. La seconde partie de l'article traite de certains aspects formalistes et non formalistes de la procédure du tribunal. L'auteur utilise à cet égard son expérience en tant que président de l'un de ces tribunaux

Real-time, interactive, visually updated simulator system for telepresence

Time delays and limited sensory feedback of remote telerobotic systems tend to disorient teleoperators and dramatically decrease the operator's performance. To remove the effects of time delays, key components were designed and developed of a prototype forward simulation subsystem, the Global-Local Environment Telerobotic Simulator (GLETS) that buffers the operator from the remote task. GLETS totally immerses an operator in a real-time, interactive, simulated, visually updated artificial environment of the remote telerobotic site. Using GLETS, the operator will, in effect, enter into a telerobotic virtual reality and can easily form a gestalt of the virtual 'local site' that matches the operator's normal interactions with the remote site. In addition to use in space based telerobotics, GLETS, due to its extendable architecture, can also be used in other teleoperational environments such as toxic material handling, construction, and undersea exploration

Iridium, shocked minerals, and trace elements across the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary at Maud Rise, Wedell Sea, and Walvis Ridge, South Atlantic Ocean

Sediments spanning a 5 meter section across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary at ODP holes 689B and 690D, Maud Rise, Wedell Sea and hole 527, Walvis Ridge, are being analyzed for shock deformation, PGE's and other trace elements (including REE's). Mineral separates from each sample were studied with optical microscopy to determine the distribution and microstructural state of quartz and feldspar present in the sediments. Samples from Maud Rise were taken of the K/T transition and at about 50 cm intervals above and below it. These samples consist of carbonate-rich sediments, with the K/T transition marked by a change from white Maastrichtian oozes to a greenish ooze with higher concentrations of altered volcanic clay and vitric ash. The Walvis Ridge site is characterized by more clay-rich sediments with average carbonate content about 60 to 70 percent. Initial results from RNAA studies indicate that iridium is present in all the Maud Rise samples in concentrations equal to or greater than 0.01 ppb (whole-rock basis). Preliminary results from optical microscopy indicate the occurrence of shock mosaicism in quartz and feldspar in all of the samples studied. The pervasiveness of shock mosaicism and presence of planar features to 2 meters from the K/T boundary indicates that a single impact or volcanic explosion 66 ma may be ruled out as responsible for the K/T event. A similar conclusion may be drawn independently from the distribution of iridium and other trace elements. Regardless of the source of the shock waves and sediment contamination, multiple events are required over a ca.0.5 my timespan; currently we favor endogenous sources