Algorithmic construction of Chevalley bases

We present a new algorithm for constructing a Chevalley basis for any Chevalley Lie algebra over a finite field. This is a necessary component for some constructive recognition algorithms of exceptional quasisimple groups of Lie type. When applied to a simple Chevalley Lie algebra in characteristic at least 5, our algorithm has complexity involving the 7th power of the Lie rank, which is likely to be close to best possible

Institutional change in the international governance of agriculture: a revised account

The place of agriculture in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) prior to 1986 is usually described in terms of either exclusion or exemption from general trading rules. This paper reevaluates the ‘exemption’ argument and its corollary that the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) represented a punctuated equilibrium in the governance of agriculture. Instead it traces the dynamics of institutional change through the history of the GATT/WTO, distinguishing between multilateral trading rounds and the framework of trade rules as separate but linked contexts for addressing agricultural trade matters; and further disaggregating the latter into broad principles and specific rules. It is argued that the broad principles lacked detail but, paradoxically, initially this facilitated an approach to dispute settlement based on conciliation. Subsequent trade tensions exposed an inability to make definitive legal decisions on the compatibility of specific national rules with broad GATT principles. The AoA is rooted in these institutional antecedents, but claims of the legalization of the trade regime are belied by a continued reliance on political flexibility and bargaining.

WTO Regulations and Bioenergy Sustainability Certification – Synergies and Possible Conflicts

Biofuels are increasingly being produced and consumed as a partial substitute to fossil-fuel based transport fuels in the fight against climate change. One policy introduced recently by some countries to help ensure biofuels perform better than fossil fuels environmentally is sustainability criteria. These, typically, require lower greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels, considering not only their use but also production. Concerns have been expressed from various quarters that such criteria could represent WTO-incompatible barriers to trade. The present paper addresses two specific issues. First, it argues that biofuels should be treated like any other traded product under WTO law, in particular the GATT agreement. Thus an importing country could not impose different trade measures dependent on whether the biofuel was produced according to its sustainability criteria. Second, the TBT Agreement provides guidance on how to draw up international standards that can help ensure WTO compatibility. This cannot guarantee such compatibility, but it can help reduce significantly the chances of WTO Members bringing actions against a fellow Member’s biofuels sustainability criteria. There is little direct case law to draw upon, but it is argued that, if the TBT guidance is followed, in the long term the absence of case law can be taken as an indication that sustainability criteria are WTO-compatible.biofuels, sustainability, WTO

Primitive Monodromy Groups of Genus at most Two

We show that if the action of a classical group $G$ on a set $\Omega$ of $1$-spaces of its natural module is of genus at most two, then $|\Omega| \leq 10,000$

Search for a meteoritic component at the Beaverhead impact structure, Montana

The Beaverhead impact structure, in southwestern Montana, was identified recently by the presence of shatter cones and impactites in outcrops of Proterozoic sandstones of the Belt Supergroup. The cones occur over an area greater than 100 sq km. Because the geologic and tectonic history of this region is long and complex, the outline of the original impact crater is no longer identifiable. The extent of the area over which shatter cones occur suggests, however, that the feature may have been at least 60 km in diameter. The absence of shatter cones in younger sedimentary units suggests that the impact event occurred in late Precambrian or early Paleozoic time. We have collected samples of shocked sandstone from the so-called 'Main Site' of dark-matrix breccias, and of impact breccias and melts from the south end of Island Butte. The melts, occurring often as veins through brecciated sandstone, exhibit a distinctive fluidal texture, a greenish color, and a cryptocrystalline matrix, with small inclusions of deformed sandstone. Samples of the same type, along with country rock, were analyzed previously for major- and trace-element abundances. It was found that, although the major-element composition as relatively uniform, trace-element composition showed variations between the melt material and the adjacent sandstone. These variations were attributed to extensive weathering and hydrothermal alteration. In a more specific search for a possible meteoritic signature in the breccia and the melt material we have conducted a new series of trace-element analyses on powders of our own samples by thermal neutron activation analysis. Our results indicate that Ir abundances in the breccia, the melts, and the adjacent sandstone clasts are no greater than about 0.1 ppb, suggesting no Ir enrichment of the breccia or the melts relative to the country rock. However, both the breccia and the melt material exhibit notable enrichments in Cr (8- and 10-fold), in U (9- and 5-fold), and in the heavy REE's (1.5- and 3-fold), respectively

Private Property Rights to Wildlife: The Southern African Experiment.

In most nations around the world wildlife are owned and managed by the State. However, in the past 30 years Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa have altered their legal regimes to give full control over the use of wildlife to the private owners of the land on which the wildlife are located. Following the privatization of wildlife management in southern African nations, wildlife tourism on private lands has boomed. In Zimbabwe, a majority of many desirable species - including 94 percent of eland, 64 percent of kudu, 63 percent of giraffe, 56 percent of cheetah, and 53 percent of both sable and impala - are found on commercial ranch properties. In Namibia, wildlife populations on private lands have risen by 80 percent since the creation in 1967 of a regime of private wildlife ownership. Privatization of control over use of wildlife has had more success in promoting biodiversity in the southern African region than any other policy measure. Other parts of the world may be able to benefit from the lessons learned from the successes of southern African nations in privatization and commercialization of wildlife. Based on the southern African experience, many wildlife managers should reconsider whether positive incentives might not be more effective in the future in promoting wildlife populations than the past club of state commands and controls.Wildlife; Privatization; Africa; Biodiversity; Economic Development

The value of a breast care nurse in supporting rural and remote cancer patients in Queensland

The role of the Breast Care Nurse in Queensland's Supporting Rural Women with Breast Cancer Project was evaluated by mixed methodology. Through questionnaire and interview patients provided views about the nurse's role under categories of Awareness, Access, Coordination, Information and Psychosocial, Emotional and Practical support. Of the 51 participants 37 resided in rural and remote areas with 18 living between 100 and 500 miles from specialised breast care services. The BCN met with patients at their regular hospital visits and was available by telephone at any time. There was overwhelming agreement among the participants that the timing of contact, ease of accessibility, information provided and support offered were extremely valuable in making their treatment and recovery easier. The vast majority of participants would recommend hospitals with a BCN to their friends. Members of the multidisciplinary care team provided views on Awareness of the BCN, Influence on Care Management, Communication and Patient Outcomes. They recognised the benefits of the BCN to patients and to coordination and liaison of the team. The findings concur with unpublished Australian reports that demonstrate the success of dedicated Breast Care Nurses. The BCN model of care could be used successfully to support other medical conditions