Barotropic Instability of the Bickley Jet at High Reynolds Numbers

We investigate the linear stability of the Bickley jet in the framework of the beta-plane approximation. Because singular inviscid neutral modes exist in the retrograde case     , it is necessary to add viscosity to interpret them. One of these modes was found in closed form by Howard and Drazin [1] . However, its critical point is at the center of the jet and it was therefore not possible for these authors to ascertain the relationship of this mode to the stability problem or to discuss how to continue the eigenfunction across the singularity.
The viscous critical layer problem associated with this singularity is considerably more difficult than the usual one (which leads to integrals of the Airy function) because     and, consequently, a second-order turning point is involved. Our analysis shows that the Howard–Drazin mode is degenerate in the domain where it is valid as a limit of the viscous problem (wavenumber  α²≤ 9/2  ), that is, it corresponds to both an odd and an even mode. This conclusion is confirmed by direct numerical solution of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation which shows, in addition, that viscosity is destabilizing along portions of the stability boundary. For a retrograde jet, instability is found to occur beyond the inviscid critical value of β, that is, in the region where the flow would be stable according to the Rayleigh–Kuo condition.     

Stable Ergodicity and Frame Flows

In this note we show that all diffeomorphisms close enough to the time-one map of the frame flow on certain negatively curved manifolds are ergodic. As a simple corollary we deduce that the frame flows are ergodic for all compact manifolds with curvature pinched sufficiently close to –1, thus providing results in the case of manifolds of dimension 7 or 8 which were missing from the results of Brin and Karcher.     

How Focusing Phenomena in the Instructional Environment Support Individual Students' Generalizations

This article sets forth a way of connecting the classroom instructional environment with individual students' generalizations. To do so, we advance the notion of focusing phenomena, that is, regularities in the ways in which teachers, students, artifacts, and curricular materials act together to direct attention toward certain mathematical properties over others. The construct of focusing phenomena emerged from an empirical study conducted during a 5-week unit on slope and linear functions in a high school classroom using a reform curriculum. Qualitative evidence from interviews with 7 students revealed that students interpreted the m value in y = b + mx as a difference rather than a ratio as a result of counterproductive generalization afforded by focusing phenomena. Classroom analysis revealed 4 focusing phenomena, which regularly directed students' attention to various sets of differences rather than to the coordination of quantities.     

Structures and syntheses of layered and framework amine-bearing uranyl phosphate and uranyl arsenates

Two hydrated uranyl arsenates and a uranyl phosphate were synthesized by hydrothermal methods in the presence of amine structure-directing agents and their structures determined: (N₂C₆H₁₄)[(UO₂)(AsO₄)]₂(H₂O)₃, DabcoUAs, {NH(C₂H₅)₃}[(UO₂)₂(AsO₄)(AsO₃OH)], TriethUAs, and (N₂C₄H₁₂)(UO₂)[(UO₂)(PO₄)]₄(H₂O)₂, PiperUP. Intensity data were collected at room temperature using MoKα X-radiation and a CCD-based area detector. The crystal structures were refined by full-matrix least-squares techniques on the basis of F² to agreement indices (DabcoUAs, TriethUAs, PiperUP) wR₂=5.6%, 8.3%, 7.2% for all data, and R₁=2.9%, 3.3%, 4.0%, calculated for 1777, 5822, 9119 unique observed reflections (|F_o|?4σ_F), respectively. DabcoUAs is monoclinic, space group C2/m, Z=2, a=18.581(1), b=7.1897(4), c=7.1909(4) Å, β=102.886(1)°, V=936.43(9) Å³, D_calc=3.50 g/cm³. TriethUAs is monoclinic, space group P2₁/n, Z=4, a=9.6359(4), b=18.4678(7), c=10.0708(4) Å, β=92.282(1)°, V=1790.7(1) Å³, D_calc=3.41 g/cm³. PiperUP is monoclinic, space group Pn, Z=2, a=9.3278(4), b=15.5529(7), c=9.6474(5) Å, β=93.266(1)°, V=1397.3(1) Å³, D_calc=4.41 g/cm³. The structure of DabcoUAs contains the autunite-type sheet formed by the sharing of vertices between uranyl square bipyramids and arsenate tetrahedra. The triethylenediammonium cations are located in the interlayer along with two H₂O groups and are disordered. Both TriethUAs and PiperUP contain sheets formed of uranyl pentagonal bipyramids and tetrahedra (arsenate and phosphate, respectively) with the uranophane sheet-anion topology. In TriethUAs, triethlyammonium cations are located in the interlayer. In PiperUP, the sheets are connected by a uranyl pentagonal bipyramid that shares corners with phosphate tetrahedra of adjacent sheets, resulting in a framework with piperazinium cations and H₂O groups in the cavities of the structure.     

Preparation and characterization of a set of IAEA reference air filters for quality control in air-pollution studies

Several sets of reference air filters were prepared as part of an IAEA evaluation of the performance of laboratories involved in air-pollution studies. Each set comprised three polycarbonate membrane filters, two of which were loaded with urban air particulate matter (APM) obtained in Vienna or Prague, and one unloaded filter. The filters were loaded by filtration of a suspension of the APM materials in water. The homogeneity both of bulk APM materials and of the loaded filters was evaluated and found suitable by determining several elements by instrumental neutron-activation analysis (INAA), proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), and micro-X-ray energy-dispersive fluorescence analysis (micro-EDXRF). After evaluation of the homogeneity, INAA, PIXE, EDXRF, atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and ICP mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were used to characterize the filter materials and establish "target values" and their associated standard deviations for 15 elements. Problems encountered during the preparation of these unique, simulated air filters and the criteria for setting both the target values and standard deviations are presented.