Integration-free interval doubling for Riccati equation solutions

Various algorithms are given for the case of constant coefficients. The algorithms are based on two ideas: first, relate the Re solution with general initial conditions to anchored RE solutions; and second, when the coefficients are constant the anchored solutions have a basic shift-invariance property. These ideas are used to construct an integration free superlinearly convergent iterative solution to the algebraic RE. The algorithm, arranged in square-root form, is thought to be numerically stable and competitive with other methods of solving the algebraic RE

New insights into the supression of plant pathogenic fungus (Phytophthora cinnamomi) by compost leachates

Use of compost as a soil conditioner and low-grade fertiliser is gaining popularity worldwide (Epstein, 1997). Compost not only adds plant nutrients to the soil, but also improves physical properties of soil such as buffering capacity, cation exchange capacity and water holding capacity. In addition to these benefits, compost can also suppress plant diseases caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi (Hoitink et al., 1977), Pythium aphanidermatum (Mandelbaum and Hadar, 1990), Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotium rolfoii (Gorodecki and Hadar, 1990). Irwin et al., (1995) reported that the diseases caused by P. cinnamomi are directly responsible for considerable economic losses in many horticultural, ornamental and forestry industries throughout Australia. Phytophthora spp. continue to be the focus of attention of many researchers due to the diversity of P. cinnamomi-host interactions and their potential economic impact on a wide range of industries. The practise of using methyl bromide and other chemicals for disinfection of soil is widespread (Trill as et al., 2002). However, the use of methyl bromide and other chemicals is phased out in the USA and Europe. The suppression of soil-borne plant fungus by composts produced from tree barks (Spencer et al., 1982) and municipal solid wastes is well documented (Trill as et al., 2002). Composts that suppress plant disease have been extensively described and are used in greenhouse production systems (Lazarovitis et aI, 2001). However, most studies have focused on compo sting different types of materials and their effect on fungal pathogens inhibition rather than compo sting conditions that may produce suppressive composts. An objective of this study was to investigate the role of moisture, aeration and compost maturity in enhancing the inhibition effect of compost on the plant pathogen P. cinnamomi. A further objective was to generate an increased understanding of the mechanism of growth inhibition

The BBC Asian Network, the Search for Younger Digital Listeners

This chapter examines a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) digital radio service that specifically caters to the U.K.'s British Asian population, the BBC Asian Network. In Britain, the term “British Asian” refers to people who have descended from countries such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, who are estimated to be approximately 4 million and form the largest minority group in Britain across generations. The chapter chapter examines how social media are utilized to engage a young minority ethnic audience and argues that the BBC ought to revaluate and negotiate their identity with British Asians in order to increase engagement with the station. It argues that there is a disconnect between the staff and the core working-class audience. A number of the BBC interviewees explained during the interviews that within the BBC itself, the BBC Asian Network is considered to be ahead in terms of social media usage. However, the staff did acknowledge that there are some problems

I don’t see what you’re saying: The maluma/takete effect does not depend on the visual appearance of phonemes as they are articulated

In contrast to the principle of arbitrariness, recent work has shown that language can iconically depict referents being talked about. One such example is the maluma/takete effect: an association between certain phonemes (e.g., those in maluma) and round shapes, and other phonemes (e.g., those in takete and spiky shapes). An open question has been whether this association is crossmodal (arising from phonemes’ sound or kinesthetics) or unimodal (arising from phonemes’ visual appearance). In the latter case, individuals may associate a person’s rounded lips as they pronounce the /u/ in maluma with round shapes. We examined this hypothesis by having participants pair nonwords with shapes in either an audio-only condition (they only heard nonwords) or an audiovisual condition (they both heard nonwords and saw them articulated). We found no evidence that seeing nonwords articulated enhanced the maluma/takete effect. In fact, there was evidence that it decreased it in some cases. This was confirmed with a Bayesian analysis. These results eliminate a plausible explanation for the maluma/takete effect, as an instance of visual matching. We discuss the alternate possibility that it involves crossmodal associations

Instability Dynamics and Breather Formation in a Horizontally Shaken Pendulum Chain

Inspired by the experimental results of Cuevas et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 224101 (2009)], we consider theoretically the behavior of a chain of planar rigid pendulums suspended in a uniform gravitational field and subjected to a horizontal periodic driving force applied to the pendulum pivots. We characterize the motion of a single pendulum, finding bistability near the fundamental resonance and near the period-3 subharmonic resonance. We examine the development of modulational instability in a driven pendulum chain and find both a critical chain length and a critical frequency for the appearance of the instability. We study the breather solutions and show their connection to the single-pendulum dynamics and extend our analysis to consider multifrequency breathers connected to the period-3 periodic solution, showing also the possibility of stability in these breather states. Finally we examine the problem of breather generation and demonstrate a robust scheme for generation of on-site and off-site breathers

The thermal ignition problem in a cube

Steady state solutions for spontaneous thermal ignition in a unit cube are considered. For the unit sphere there are numerous solutions possible: these appear as ``wiggles'' in the bifurcation diagram. For the unit sphere this has been shown analytically. In contrast, for the unit cube analytic solutions are not possible and hence we must resort to numerical methods to determine the corresponding bifurcation diagram. Comparisons between the cube and the sphere are made