Accurately model the Kuramoto--Sivashinsky dynamics with holistic discretisation

We analyse the nonlinear Kuramoto--Sivashinsky equation to develop accurate discretisations modeling its dynamics on coarse grids. The analysis is based upon centre manifold theory so we are assured that the discretisation accurately models the dynamics and may be constructed systematically. The theory is applied after dividing the physical domain into small elements by introducing isolating internal boundaries which are later removed. Comprehensive numerical solutions and simulations show that the holistic discretisations excellently reproduce the steady states and the dynamics of the Kuramoto--Sivashinsky equation. The Kuramoto--Sivashinsky equation is used as an example to show how holistic discretisation may be successfully applied to fourth order, nonlinear, spatio-temporal dynamical systems. This novel centre manifold approach is holistic in the sense that it treats the dynamical equations as a whole, not just as the sum of separate terms.Comment: Without figures. See http://www.sci.usq.edu.au/staff/aroberts/ksdoc.pdf to download a version with the figure

Holistic finite differences accurately model the dynamics of the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation

We analyse the nonlinear Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation to develop an accurate finite difference approximation to its dynamics. The analysis is based upon centre manifold theory so we are assured that the finite difference model accurately models the dynamics and may be constructed systematically. The theory is applied after dividing the physical domain into small elements by introducing insulating internal boundaries which are later removed. The Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation is used as an example to show how holistic finite differences may be applied to fourth order, nonlinear, spatio-temporal dynamical systems. This novel centre manifold approach is holistic in the sense that it treats the dynamical equations as a whole, not just as the sum of separate terms

Incapacity Benefit: A Health or Labour Market Phenomenon?

The number of people claiming Incapacity Benefit has remained fairly constant in recent years at around 2.7 million (7% of the working age population), although the numbers have trebled since the 1970s when an earlier version of this benefit was available. In January 2006 the UK Government set the ambitious target of reducing the number of claimants by one million, or around 40% of the total, within the next decade. New initiatives will focus on increasing the number of people who remain in work and increasing the number leaving benefits and finding employment. This paper explores these two critical transitions using data from waves 5 to 13 of the British Household Panel Survey. We consider whether the moves onto and off benefit are driven by health status or whether labour market factors are also important. Our results show that while health, and in particular psychological health, is an important determinant of these transitions, other factors such as age, occupation and geographical location are also key explanatory factors. This suggests that a very broad range of policy measures will be required if the government is to meet its target

Digital data averager improves conventional measurement system performance

Multipurpose digital averager provides measurement improvement in noisy signal environments. It provides increased measurement accuracy and resolution to basic instrumentation devices by an arithmetical process in real time. It is used with standard conventional measurement equipment and digital data printers

An economic analysis of a pneumococcal vaccine programme in people aged over 64 years in a developed country setting.

BACKGROUND: Polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccination for older adults is being introduced in developed country settings. Evidence of protection by this vaccine against pneumococcal pneumonia, or confirmation that illness and death from bacteraemia are prevented, is currently limited. Decisions are often made based on partial information. We examined the policy implications by exploring the potential economic benefit to society and the health sector of pneumococcal vaccination in older adults. METHODS: A model to estimate the potential cost savings and cost-effectiveness of a polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine programme was based on costs collected from patients, the literature, and routine health-services data. The effect of a pneumococcal vaccine (compared with no vaccination) was examined in a hypothetical cohort aged over 64 years. The duration of protection was assumed to be 10 years, with or without a booster at 5 years. RESULTS: If it were effective against morbidity from pneumococcal pneumonia, the main burden from pneumococcal disease, the vaccine could be cost-neutral to society or the health sector at low efficacy (28 and 37.5%, respectively, without boosting and with 70% coverage). If it were effective against morbidity from bacteraemia only, the vaccine's efficacy would need to be 75 and 89%, respectively. If protection against both morbidity and mortality from pneumococcal bacteraemia was 50%, the net cost to society would be 2500 pounds per year of life saved ( 3365 pounds from the health-sector perspective). Results were sensitive to incidence, case-fatality rates, and costs of illness. CONCLUSIONS: A vaccine with moderate efficacy against bacteraemic illness and death would be cost-effective. If it also protected against pneumonia, it would be cost-effective even if its efficacy were low

Herding cats: observing live coding in the wild

After a momentous decade of live coding activities, this paper seeks to explore the practice with the aim of situating it in the history of contemporary arts and music. The article introduces several key points of investigation in live coding research and discusses some examples of how live coding practitioners engage with these points in their system design and performances. In the light of the extremely diverse manifestations of live coding activities, the problem of defining the practice is discussed, and the question raised whether live coding will actually be necessary as an independent category

Oceanographic environment of the Sodwana Bay coelacanths (Latimeria chalumnae), South Africa

Trimix scuba divers discovered coelacanths in Jesser Canyon at a depth of 104 m on the northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) coast (Sodwana Bay) in October 2000. The existence of these animals at such a shallow depth and in the swift and powerful Agulhas Current led to a suggestion that this might be an isolated group swept well away from the main population in the Comoros, where they live at depths of 200–350 m with little current. Subsequent observations from three manned submersible surveys and one remotely operated vehicle expedition together with recreational diver observations indicate that the South African population of coelacanths has at least 26 individuals, mostly occupying the depth range of 104–140 m in canyons. Seventeen CTD sections collected during four cruises in 2002 and 2003 indicate the temperature range in this habitat to be similar to that found in the Comoros Islands (that is, 15–22°C cf. 15–19°C in the Comoros). However, a 2.5-month-long time series of hourly data collected by a thermistor array deployed near a known coelacanth cave in Wright Canyon indicated greater variation than anticipated, with temperature changes between 16°C and 24°C occurring in a day. Dissolved oxygen levels in this depth zone were found to range between 3.0 ml l[superscript (–1)] and 4.8 ml l[superscript (–1)] compared to 3.5 ml l[superscript (–1)] in the Comoros. The low oxygen values along this coast are a result of the shallow oxygen minimum, which becomes shallower in the southwest Indian Ocean, particularly in the Agulhas Current, than in tropical latitudes. Current velocities measured using a ship-borne ADCP in the depth range 100–140 m at Sodwana were considerably higher than those measured in the Comoros habitat (20–60 cm s[superscript (–1)] cf. 3–4 cm s[superscript (–1)]) and may be an important factor explaining the coelacanths’ occupation of the canyons found along the northern KZN shelf-break

J0316+4328: a Probable "Asymmetric Double" Lens

We report a probable gravitational lens J0316+4328, one of 19 candidate asymmetric double lenses (2 images at a high flux density ratio) from CLASS. Observations with the Very Large Array (VLA), MERLIN and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) imply that J0316+4328 is a lens with high confidence. It has 2 images separated by 0.40", with 6 GHz flux densities of 62 mJy and 3.2 mJy. The flux density ratio of ~19 (constant over the frequency range 6-22 GHz) is the largest for any 2 image gravitational lens. High resolution optical imaging and deeper VLBI maps should confirm the lensing interpretation and provide inputs to detailed lens models. The unique configuration will give strong constraints on the lens galaxy's mass profile.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS Letters. 5 pages, 6 figures, 3 table