Changing institutional research strategies

University research strategies make statements about research ambitions, but rarely speak directly about scholarly communications. At the same time, communication of all sorts has become central to a university, whether to support recruitment, present a public profile, or to respond to events. This chapter seeks to explore the relationship between institutional research strategies and scholarly communications, and to see how each may have affected the other and how they might do so in the future. It describes the purpose and structure of an institutional research strategy, and how these are changing. It highlights the linkages between strategy, implementation plans, and policies, where the latter encourage desired behaviours. In the context of scholarly communications, the research strategy is the public document in which an institution states its commitment to such forms of communication: that discovering new knowledge and sharing that discovery in meaningful ways are at the heart of the institution. The discussion then moves to the changing nature of scholarly communications, including the Open agenda, and questions how scholarly communications fits into the wider spectrum of institutional communications. The chapter concludes that there has probably been little direct connection between research strategies and approaches to scholarly communications, but that this is changing. Both institutions and individual researchers wish to demonstrate the quality, relevance and accessibility of their research, in order to be attractive to collaborators, funders, and employers. Successful institutions will ensure that strategy and scholarly communications activities are mutually supportive, to the benefit of their researchers and the organisation

Poly-essential and general Hyperelastic World (brane) models

This article provides a unified treatment of an extensive category of non-linear classical field models whereby the universe is represented (perhaps as a brane in a higher dimensional background) in terms of a structure of a mathematically convenient type describable as hyperelastic, for which a complete set of equations of motion is provided just by the energy-momentum conservation law. Particular cases include those of a perfect fluid in quintessential backgrounds of various kinds, as well as models of the elastic solid kind that has been proposed to account for cosmic acceleration. It is shown how an appropriately generalised Hadamard operator can be used to construct a symplectic structure that controles the evolution of small perturbations, and that provides a characteristic equation governing the propagation of weak discontinuities of diverse (extrinsic and extrinsic) kinds. The special case of a poly-essential model - the k-essential analogue of an ordinary polytropic fluid - is examined and shown to be well behaved (like the fluid) only if the pressure to density ratio $w$ is positive.Comment: 16 pages Latex, Contrib. to 10th Peyresq Pysics Meeting, June 2005: Micro and Macro Structures of Spacetim

Staticity Theorem for Higher Dimensional Generalized Einstein-Maxwell System

We derive formulas for variations of mass, angular momentum and canonical energy in Einstein (n-2)-gauge form field theory by means of the ADM formalism. Considering the initial data for the manifold with an interior boundary which has the topology of (n-2)-sphere we obtained the generalized first law of black hole thermodynamics. Supposing that a black hole evevt horizon comprisesw a bifurcation Killing horizon with a bifurcate surface we find that the solution is static in the exterior world, when the Killing timelike vector field is normal to the horizon and has vanishing electric or magnetic fields on static slices.Comment: 10 pages, REVTEX, to published in Phys.Rev. D1

Convergence analysis of Crank-Nicolson and Rannacher time-marching

This paper presents a convergence analysis of Crank-Nicolson and Rannacher time-marching methods which are often used in finite difference discretisations of the Black-Scholes equations. Particular attention is paid to the important role of Rannacher's startup procedure, in which one or more initial timesteps use Backward Euler timestepping, to achieve second order convergence for approximations of the first and second derivatives. Numerical results confirm the sharpness of the error analysis which is based on asymptotic analysis of the behaviour of the Fourier transform. The relevance to Black-Scholes applications is discussed in detail, with numerical results supporting recommendations on how to maximise the accuracy for a given computational cost

Estimation in a modified binomial distribution

Estimation techniques in a modified binomial distribution, developed to describe thunderstorm activity over a small area at Cape Kennedy, Florida, are compared. A compound model is also developed and compared with the original model. The minimum Chi square technique is compared with the maximum likelihood and method of moments techniques. The minimum Chi square technique, although useful in complicated models, compared poorly compared to the other techniques. The maximum likelihood and method of moments were comparable. The compound model fit better in every case based on a likelihood ratio test comparing the compound model with the modified binomial model using maximum likelihood estimators

Sharp error estimates for discretisations of the 1D convection/diffusion equation with Dirac initial data

This paper derives sharp estimates of the error arising from explicit and implicit approximations of the constant coefficient 1D convection/diffusion equation with Dirac initial data. The error analysis is based on Fourier analysis and asymptotic approximation of the integrals resulting from the inverse Fourier transform. This research is motivated by applications in computational finance and the desire to prove convergence of approximations to adjoint partial differential equations

Why do people live apart together?

Interpretations of living apart together (LAT) have typically counter-posed 'new family form' versus 'continuist' perspectives. Recent surveys, however, construct LAT as a heterogeneous category that supports a 'qualified continuist' position – most people live apart as a response to practical circumstances or as a modern version of 'boy/girlfriend', although a minority represents something new in preferring to live apart more permanently. This article interrogates this conclusion by examining in depth why people live apart together, using a nationally representative survey from Britain and interview accounts from 2011. Our analysis shows that LAT as a category contains different sorts of relationship, with different needs and desires. While overall coupledom remains pivotal and cohabitation remains the goal for most, LAT allows people flexibility and room to manoeuvre in adapting couple intimacy to the demands of contemporary life. Hence, we suggest, LAT is both 'new' and a 'continuation'

On Physical Properties of Cylindrically Symmetric Self-Similar Solutions

This paper is devoted to discuss some of the features of self-similar solutions of the first kind. We consider the cylindrically symmetric solutions with different homotheties. We are interested in evaluating the quantities acceleration, rotation, expansion, shear, shear invariant and expansion rate. These kinematical quantities are discussed both in co-moving as well as in non-co-moving coordinates (only in radial direction). Finally, we would discuss the singularity feature of these solutions. It is expected that these properties would help in exploring some interesting features of the self-similar solutions.Comment: 16 pages, accepted for publication in Int. J. of Mod. Phys.