Vaccination nation? Civilised strategies for protecting outdoor poultry from Avian Flu H5N1

An analysis of the threat of H5N1 Avian Flu virus to the UK, the potential impact on UK organic and free range poultry production and the evidence for a policy of vaccination

The Development of High Order Numerical Techniques for Reentry Simulation of Hypersonic Spacecraft

The primary difficulty encountered when simulating hypersonic flow is that the flow normally includes strong nonlinear discontinuities. These discontinuities fall into three broad classes: shocks, slip-lines, and rarefaction waves. Moreover, in the hypersonic flow regime, the chemistry of hot gases plays a vital role and can not be neglected. These facts combine to make the numerical treatment of spacecraft reentry a most challenging problem. In this work, we develop a class of finite difference schemes that accurately resolve discontinuous solutions to spacecraft reentry flow and are simple to incorporate into existing spacecraft reentry codes

Why All Published Research Findings Are Likely False (and a possible remedy)

The physiological constraints of our neuro-sensory instrumentation limit the information we receive and from which we fashion our impressions. These limitations precede the psychological issues of data generation and analysis described by Ioannidis [1]. Scientific models widely accepted for at least 50 years [2,3] suggest that the peripheral and central nervous systems do not provide direct information about phenomena as they exist in nature. Instead, perceptible phenomena stimulate sense organs to produce nerve impulses. Sensory nerve impulses are not replicas of the phenomena stimulating their production. The brain, by obscure mechanisms, then fabricates personal experience from the sensory nerve impulses. The relationship of phenomena to the brain's experiential construct is unknown. Since evidence is produced by sense organs and the brain (neither of which incorporates bona fide replicas of phenomena), all scientific conclusions are likely false in the sense that they are not based on direct knowledge of phenomena as they exist in nature

A hybrid multigrid technique for computing steady-state solutions to supersonic flows

Recently, Li and Sanders have introduced a class of finite difference schemes to approximate generally discontinuous solutions to hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. These equations have the form together with relevant boundary conditions. When modelling hypersonic spacecraft reentry, the differential equations above are frequently given by the compressible Euler equations coupled with a nonequilibrium chemistry model. For these applications, steady state solutions are often sought. Many tens (to hundreds) of super computer hours can be devoted to a single three space dimensional simulation. The primary difficulty is the inability to rapidly and reliably capture the steady state. In these notes, we demonstrate that a particular variant from the schemes presented can be combined with a particular multigrid approach to capture steady state solutions to the compressible Euler equations in one space dimension. We show that the rate of convergence to steady state coming from this multigrid implementation is vastly superior to the traditional approach of artificial time relaxation. Moreover, we demonstrate virtual grid independence. That is, the rate of convergence does not depend on the degree of spatial grid refinement

Evidence for a Universe of Illusion

I believe that the Buddhist paradigm of the phenomenal world—particularly, the Buddhist assertion that the phenomenal world is not as it appears—is supported by a scientific analysis of perception. When we consider carefully the basics of human perception, as understood by modern science, it becomes clear that phenomenal events are not represented as they truly are. This infidelity of information transfer from external phenomena to personal experience is consistent with the Buddhist view of the world as 'illusory'. Further, I would argue that the creation of an illusory external world by our sensory instrumentation is compatible with the Buddhist doctrine of the non-duality of perception and perceiver

Engineering Coexistence

A response to the issues raised by the English GM coexistence consultation

A contribution to the orchidology of Tasmania

Slightly hairy, very slender, about 6.5-15 cm. high, a cylindrical sheath at the base. The leaf incomplete in my specimens, narrow linear, almost glabrous, a1pparently rather long. Flowers 1-3; pedicels slender, rather long, subtended by a narrow acute bract. Segments of perianth somewhat similar, dusky and glandular-hairy on the outer side; lateral sepals spreading, elliptical, acute, about 1.2-1.5 cm. long, 4 mm. wide, 5-7-veined; dorsal sepal erecto-incurved, slightly concave, about 1.1-1.2 cm. long, 3 mm. wide, subacute, lanceolate; p·etals fal.co-elliptical, acute, spreading, 5-nerved, a:bout 1.1-1.2 cm. long, 2.5 mm. wide. Labellum clawed, nearly equal in length to the column, transv·ersely barred, 3- lobed; lateral lobes large rounded entire or slightly notched anteriorly, middle lobe triangular 1:ecurvEd with pectinate or denticulate margins; -caili in 4 rows, linear, bent, be-coming s~orter towards the apex. Golumn ereeto-incurved, rather Widely winged above, transversely barred. Anther shortly mucronate

Elm Farm Organic Research Centre December 2006

The Organic Research Centre. Elm Farm Research Centre Bulletin with Technical Updates from The Organic Advisory Service is a regular publication from The Organic Research Centre. The current issue covers: Report from 2006 Cirencester Conference; Quest for more home produced organic food; in a world where bread matters; Improving wheat with plenty of parents; Unlocking the secrets of the ancient (cereal varieties); Brain food- a good read; Not to late to protect the future: The organic role; Bumper Oat yields- Tradis trials top ten tonnes; Multiage flocks- a viable solution to wheigh variability; Letters