Climate change and agriculture: theory and application of mitigation policies

Agriculture’s contribution to climate change is controversial as it is a significant source of greenhouse gases but also a sink of carbon. Hence its economic and technological potential to mitigate climate change have been argued to be noteworthy. However, social profitability of emission mitigation is a result from factors among emission reductions such as surface water quality impact or profit from production. Consequently, to value comprehensive results of agricultural climate emission mitigation practices, these co-effects to environment and economics should be taken into account. The objective of this thesis was to develop an integrated economic and ecological model to analyse the social welfare of crop cultivation in Finland on distinctive cultivation technologies, conventional tillage and conservation tillage (no-till). Further, we ask whether it would be privately or socially profitable to allocate some of barley cultivation for alternative land use, such as green set-aside or afforestation, when production costs, GHG’s and water quality impacts are taken into account. In the theoretical framework we depict the optimal input use and land allocation choices in terms of environmental impacts and profit from production and derive the optimal tax and payment policies for climate and water quality friendly land allocation. The empirical application of the model uses Finnish data about production cost and profit structure and environmental impacts. According to our results, given emission mitigation practices are not self-evidently beneficial for farmers or society. On the contrary, in some cases alternative land allocation could even reduce social welfare, profiting conventional crop cultivation. This is the case regarding mineral soils such as clay and silt soils. On organic agricultural soils, climate mitigation practices, in this case afforestation and green fallow give more promising results, decreasing climate emissions and nutrient runoff to water systems. No-till technology does not seem to profit climate mitigation although it does decrease other environmental impacts. Nevertheless, the data behind climate emission mitigation practices impact to production and climate is limited and partly contradictory. More specific experiment studies on interaction of emission mitigation practices and environment would be needed. Further study would be important. Particularly area specific production and environmental factors and also food security and safety and socio-economic impacts should be taken into account.

Comparison of elasticity and shell-theory solutions for finite circular cylindrical shells

A finite circular cylindrical shell subjected to a band of uniform pressure on its outer rim was investigated, using three-dimensional elasticity theory and the classical shell theories of Timoshenko (or Donnell) and Flügge. Detailed comparison of the resulting stresses and displacements was carried out for shells with ratios of inner to outer shell radii equal to 0.80, 0.85, 0.90 and 0.93 and for ratios of outer shell diameter to length of the shell equal to 0.5, 1 and 2. The ratio of band width to length of the shell was 0.2 and Poisson's ratio used was equal to 0.3. An Elliot 803 digital computer was used for numerical computations.

Approximation of solutions to fractional integral equation

In this paper we shall study a fractional integral equation in an arbitrary Banach space X. We used the analytic semigroups theory of linear operators and the fixed point method to establish the existence and uniqueness of solutions of the given problem. We also prove the existence of global solution. The existence and convergence of the Faedo–Galerkin solution to the given problem is also proved in a separable Hilbert space with some additional assumptions on the operator A. Finally we give an example to illustrate the applications of the abstract results.

On kuhnels 9-vertex complex projective plane

We present an elementary combinatorial proof of the existence and uniqueness of the 9-vertex triangulation of C P2. The original proof of existence, due to Kuhnel, as well as the original proof of uniqueness, due to Kuhnel and Lassmann, were based on extensive computer search. Recently Arnoux and Marin have used cohomology theory to present a computer-free proof. Our proof has the advantage of displaying a canonical copy of the affine plane over the three-element field inside this complex in terms of which the entire complex has a very neat and short description. This explicates the full automorphism group of the Kuhnel complex as a subgroup of the automorphism group of this affine plane. Our method also brings out the rich combinatorial structure inside this complex.

Minimal triangulation, complementarity and projective planes

Brehm and Kuhnel proved that if M-d is a combinatorial d-manifold with 3d/2 + 3 vertices and \ M-d \ is not homeomorphic to Sd then the combinatorial Morse number of M-d is three and hence d is an element of {0, 2, 4, 8, 16} and \ M-d \ is a manifold like a projective plane in the sense of Eells and Kuiper. We discuss the existence and uniqueness of such combinatorial manifolds. We also present the following result: ''Let M-n(d) be a combinatorial d-manifold with n vertices. M-n(d) satisfies complementarity if and only if d is an element of {0, 2, 4, 8, 16} with n = 3d/2 + 3 and \ M-n(d) \ is a manifold like a projective plane''.

Analysis of Parameter Values in the van der Waals and Platteeuw Theory for Methane Hydrates Using Monte Carlo Molecular Simulations

The van der Waals and Platteuw (vdVVP) theory has been successfully used to model the thermodynamics of gas hydrates. However, earlier studies have shown that this could be due to the presence of a large number of adjustable parameters whose values are obtained through regression with experimental data. To test this assertion, we carry out a systematic and rigorous study of the performance of various models of vdWP theory that have been proposed over the years. The hydrate phase equilibrium data used for this study is obtained from Monte Carlo molecular simulations of methane hydrates. The parameters of the vdWP theory are regressed from this equilibrium data and compared with their true values obtained directly from simulations. This comparison reveals that (i) methane-water interactions beyond the first cage and methane-methane interactions make a significant contribution to the partition function and thus cannot be neglected, (ii) the rigorous Monte Carlo integration should be used to evaluate the Langmuir constant instead of the spherical smoothed cell approximation, (iii) the parameter values describing the methane-water interactions cannot be correctly regressed from the equilibrium data using the vdVVP theory in its present form, (iv) the regressed empty hydrate property values closely match their true values irrespective of the level of rigor in the theory, and (v) the flexibility of the water lattice forming the hydrate phase needs to be incorporated in the vdWP theory. Since methane is among the simplest of hydrate forming molecules, the conclusions from this study should also hold true for more complicated hydrate guest molecules.

Monopoles, Dirac operator, and index theory for fuzzy SU(3) / (U(1) x U(1))

The intersection of the ten-dimensional fuzzy conifold Y-F(10) with S-F(5) x S-F(5) is the compact eight-dimensional fuzzy space X-F(8). We show that X-F(8) is (the analogue of) a principal U(1) x U(1) bundle over fuzzy SU(3) / U(1) x U(1)) ( M-F(6)). We construct M-F(6) using the Gell-Mann matrices by adapting Schwinger's construction. The space M-F(6) is of relevance in higher dimensional quantum Hall effect and matrix models of D-branes. Further we show that the sections of the monopole bundle can be expressed in the basis of SU(3) eigenvectors. We construct the Dirac operator on M-F(6) from the Ginsparg-Wilson algebra on this space. Finally, we show that the index of the Dirac operator correctly reproduces the known results in the continuum.

Markov chains, R-trivial monoids and representation theory

We develop a general theory of Markov chains realizable as random walks on R-trivial monoids. It provides explicit and simple formulas for the eigenvalues of the transition matrix, for multiplicities of the eigenvalues via Mobius inversion along a lattice, a condition for diagonalizability of the transition matrix and some techniques for bounding the mixing time. In addition, we discuss several examples, such as Toom-Tsetlin models, an exchange walk for finite Coxeter groups, as well as examples previously studied by the authors, such as nonabelian sandpile models and the promotion Markov chain on posets. Many of these examples can be viewed as random walks on quotients of free tree monoids, a new class of monoids whose combinatorics we develop.

Correlation Between Decay Rate and Amplitude of Solar Cycles as Revealed from Observations and Dynamo Theory

Using different proxies of solar activity, we have studied the following features of the solar cycle: i) The linear correlation between the amplitude of cycle and its decay rate, ii) the linear correlation between the amplitude of cycle and the decay rate of cycle , and iii) the anti-correlation between the amplitude of cycle and the period of cycle . Features ii) and iii) are very useful because they provide precursors for future cycles. We have reproduced these features using a flux-transport dynamo model with stochastic fluctuations in the Babcock-Leighton effect and in the meridional circulation. Only when we introduce fluctuations in meridional circulation, are we able to reproduce different observed features of the solar cycle. We discuss the possible reasons for these correlations.

Reference Points and Optimal Management in Stochastic Age-Structured Fisheries Models

The purpose of this article is to characterize dynamic optimal harvesting trajectories that maximize discounted utility assuming an age-structured population model, in the same line as Tahvonen (2009). The main novelty of our study is that uses as an age-structured population model the standard stochastic cohort framework applied in Virtual Population Analysis for fish stock assessment. This allows us to compare optimal harvesting in a discounted economic context with standard reference points used by fisheries agencies for long term management plans (e.g. Fmsy). Our main findings are the following. First, optimal steady state is characterized and sufficient conditions that guarantees its existence and uniqueness for the general case of n cohorts are shown. It is also proved that the optimal steady state coincides with the traditional target Fmsy when the utility function to be maximized is the yield and the discount rate is zero. Second, an algorithm to calculate the optimal path that easily drives the resource to the steady state is developed. And third, the algorithm is applied to the Northern Stock of hake. Results show that management plans based exclusively on traditional reference targets as Fmsy may drive fishery economic results far from the optimal.

Fixed and Best Proximity Points of Cyclic Jointly Accretive and Contractive Self-Mappings

p(>= 2)-cyclic and contractive self-mappings on a set of subsets of a metric space which are simultaneously accretive on the whole metric space are investigated. The joint fulfilment of the p-cyclic contractiveness and accretive properties is formulated as well as potential relationships with cyclic self-mappings in order to be Kannan self-mappings. The existence and uniqueness of best proximity points and fixed points is also investigated as well as some related properties of composed self-mappings from the union of any two adjacent subsets, belonging to the initial set of subsets, to themselves.

Some Results on Fixed and Best Proximity Points of Multivalued

This paper is devoted to investigate the fixed points and best proximity points of multivalued cyclic self-mappings on a set of subsets of complete metric spaces endowed with a partial order under a generalized contractive condition involving a Hausdorff distance. The existence and uniqueness of fixed points of both the cyclic self-mapping and its associate composite self-mappings on each of the subsets are investigated, if the subsets in the cyclic disposal are nonempty, bounded and of nonempty convex intersection. The obtained results are extended to the existence of unique best proximity points in uniformly convex Banach spaces.