Ill-posedness of degenerate dispersive equations

In this article we provide numerical and analytical evidence that some degenerate dispersive partial differential equations are ill-posed. Specifically we study the K(2,2) equation $u_t = (u^2)_{xxx} + (u^2)_{x}$ and the "degenerate Airy" equation $u_t = 2 u u_{xxx}$. For K(2,2) our results are computational in nature: we conduct a series of numerical simulations which demonstrate that data which is very small in $H^2$ can be of unit size at a fixed time which is independent of the data's size. For the degenerate Airy equation, our results are fully rigorous: we prove the existence of a compactly supported self-similar solution which, when combined with certain scaling invariances, implies ill-posedness (also in $H^2$)

Atlas of Avoidable Hospitalisations in Australia: ambulatory care-sensitive conditions

Avoidable hospitalisations represent a range of conditions for which hospitalisation should be able to be avoided because the disease or condition has been prevented from occurring, or because individuals have had access to timely and effective primary care. This report addresses the level and extent of regional variation in Australia in a sub-set of avoidable hospitalisations, namely those arising from ambulatory care-sensitive (ACS) conditions. ACS conditions are certain conditions for which hospitalisation is considered potentially avoidable through preventive care and early disease management, usually delivered in a primary care setting, for example by a general medical practitioner, or at a community health centre

Rare Kaon Decays

The current status of rare kaon decay experiments is reviewed. New limits in the search for Lepton Flavor Violation are discussed, as are new measurements of the CKM matrix.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX, presented at the 3rd International Conference on B Phyiscs and CP Violation, Taipei December 3-7, 199

Pollen dimorphism and dioecy in Vitis aestivalis

Problems of low production and sterile pollen in varieties of Vitis vinifera may be tracable to their ancestral relations with dioecious wild grapes.Like V. riparia, the wild summer grape V. aestivalis has dimorphic male and female flowers; but unlike V. riparia it also has dimorphic pollen grains with the pollen from the female flower being significantly smaller.It seems fairly certain that V. aestivalis is truly dioecious

Development of a DNA-Liposome Complex for Gene Delivery Applications

The association structures formed by cationic liposomes and DNA(Deoxyribonucleic acid)-liposome have been effectively utilized as gene carriers in transfection assays. In this research study, cationic liposomes were prepared using a modified lipid film hydration method consisting of a lyophilization step for gene delivery applications. The obtained results demonstrated that the mean particle size had no significant change while the polydispersity (PDI) increased after lyophilization. The mean particle size slightly reduced after lyophilization (520 ± 12 nm to 464 ± 25 nm) while the PDI increased after lyophilization (0.094 ± 0.017 to 0.220 ± 0.004). In addition. The mean particle size of vesicles increases when DNA is incorporated to the liposomes (673 ± 27 nm). According to the Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, the spherical shape of liposomes confirmed their successful preservation and reconstitution from the powder. It was found that liposomal formulation has enhanced transfection considerably compared to the naked DNA as negative control. Finally, liposomal formulation in this research had a better function than Lipofectamine® 2000 as a commercialized product because the cellular activity (cellular protein) was higher in the prepared lipoplex than Lipofectamine® 2000

Anomalous enrichment of molybdenum and associated metals in Lower Jurassic (Lias Group) black shales of central England, as revealed by systematic geochemical surveys

Systematic multi-media geochemical surveying by the British Geological Survey's Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE) project has revealed significant anomalous patterns of enrichment for a suite of elements – copper (Cu) and uranium (U) – with exceptionally high levels of molybdenum (Mo), in soils and stream sediments in central England. Enrichment of these elements is most often associated with organic-rich, sulphidic ‘black shale’ lithofacies, typical of oxygen-deficient, euxinic depositional environments. The main anomaly lies between Evesham and Rugby where the bedrock comprises the Blue Lias and Charmouth Mudstone formations. Concentrations of Mo are particularly high, reaching soil values of 50 mg/kg, where the regional background is <2 mg/kg. Analysis of black shale partings sampled from rhythmic limestone–shale couplets reveal Mo levels up to 320 mg/kg. Complementary X-ray diffraction analyses suggest that the anomalous Mo levels are hosted by sulphidic (pyrite) rather than organic phases. High Mo levels may have significant impacts on local agriculture, as well as revealing hitherto unsuspected periods of hypoxic and anoxic bottom water sedimentation within localised basins in central England during the Early Jurassic. Rhythmic alternations of thin beds of Mo-rich, sulphidic black shale (euxinic) with bioclastic and micritic limestone (oxic) represent primary depositional cycles rather than a diagenetic origin. The bed-scale cyclicity is attributed to previously described orbitally-induced precession cycles that influenced climate. These resulted in periods of basin anoxia and black shale sedimentation during periods of enhanced terrestrial fresh-water run-off (possibly below a low-salinity pycnocline), alternating with periods of oxygenation of the sea-water and bottom sediments during overturn of the water column

The integrability of Lie-invariant geometric objects generated by ideals in the Grassmann algebra

We investigate closed ideals in the Grassmann algebra serving as bases of Lie-invariant geometric objects studied before by E. Cartan. Especially, the E. Cartan theory is enlarged for Lax integrable nonlinear dynamical systems to be treated in the frame work of the Wahlquist Estabrook prolongation structures on jet-manifolds and Cartan-Ehresmann connection theory on fibered spaces. General structure of integrable one-forms augmenting the two-forms associated with a closed ideal in the Grassmann algebra is studied in great detail. An effective Maurer-Cartan one-forms construction is suggested that is very useful for applications. As an example of application the developed Lie-invariant geometric object theory for the Burgers nonlinear dynamical system is considered having given rise to finding an explicit form of the associated Lax type representation

Coordination of Geological and Engineering Research in Support of the Gulf Coast Co-Production Program - Final Report

At Northeast Hitchcock field, the presence of the Skolithos assemblage and other structures has supported the interpretation of shallow-marine, tidal, distributary-mouth-bar, and channel depositional environments for most of the major reservoir sandstones. Several shaly horizons exhibit characteristics of interdistributary bays, and the Frio A is capped by a thin sequence of crevasse splays and washover sands that represent the initiation of the transgression that overlapped the Frio in Anahuac times. The high-energy depositional environment of reworked distributary-mouth-bar sandstones is the major control of the high porosity (around 30 percent) and permeability (around 1,000 millidarcies) in Frio A sandstones at Northeast Hitchcock field. Well-winnowed sandstones with high porosities and permeabilities contain abundant authigenic kaolinite and have served as preferential conduits for migrating acid waters and major fluid flow during co-production. Authigenic clay can create fluid production problems due to its delicate structure. Dislodged clay may obstruct pore throats at high production rates, necessitating the determination of a maximum safe rate of fluid production for co-produced wells. Middle and lower Miocene barrier island sands, buried at depths from 3,500 to 6,800 feet in Northeast Hitchcock field, have the potential to receive large volumes of co-produced brines from the Frio 1-A reservoir. These sands exhibit high permeabilities exceeding 2,000 millidarcies, are internally homogeneous, and are laterally extensive in the field area. The 6,150-foot sand (lower Miocene) was chosen for initial brine disposal in the H.D.S. Thompson No. 3 brine-disposal well based on these criteria. The 3,780-foot sand (middle Miocene) is recommended for future up-hole brine disposal in the H.D.S. Thompson No. 3 well because it is shallower, requiring less injection pressure and lower costs for brine disposal.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Response of selected plant and insect species to simulated solid rocket exhaust mixtures and to exhaust components from solid rocket fuels

The effects of solid rocket fuel (SRF) exhaust on selected plant and and insect species in the Merritt Island, Florida area was investigated in order to determine if the exhaust clouds generated by shuttle launches would adversely affect the native, plants of the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, the citrus production, or the beekeeping industry of the island. Conditions were simulated in greenhouse exposure chambers and field chambers constructed to model the ideal continuous stirred tank reactor. A plant exposure system was developed for dispensing and monitoring the two major chemicals in SRF exhaust, HCl and Al203, and for dispensing and monitoring SRF exhaust (controlled fuel burns). Plants native to Merritt Island, Florida were grown and used as test species. Dose-response relationships were determined for short term exposure of selected plant species to HCl, Al203, and mixtures of the two to SRF exhaust