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An integrated stratigraphic analysis of a ~350 ft drill core from Upton County (Texas) has revealed pervasive variability of several key siliciclastic and carbonate lithofacies in vertical section, where organic-rich siliceous mudrock beds alternate with aluminum-rich mudrocks and calcareous gravity flow deposits. Sediment chemistry, especially major and trace elements derived from x-ray fluorescence, captures this variability with high sensitivity. The high frequency chemostratigraphic variability appears to be cyclic, and it is interpreted to represent the first example of deep-water Late Pennsylvanian cyclothems for the Midland Basin. Positive trace metal (Mo, Cr) correlations to total organic carbon and gamma ray response in siliceous mudrocks, in conjunction with abundant pyrite, indicate bottom-water anoxia and possibly euxinia within the basin. The influence of glacial ice-sheets on the water level of the global ocean, in concert with local oceanographic gradients, regional tectonics, and tropical paleoclimate, constitute the primary controls on lithofacies and chemostratigraphy. The results of this study have implications for understanding the depositional history of the Midland Basin, as well as for identifying horizontal drilling zones for resource development.

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The introduction of the single currency (Euro) in Europe has been referred to as the ‘world’s largest economic experiment’ and has led to major research on the effects of the adoption of a common currency on economic activity with considerable emphasis on its effect on trade flows at the macroeconomic level. However, the investigation of the euro effect on individual sectors has received very little attention and this provides the motivation for the research. The main contribution of this thesis is to the sectoral analysis of the single currency’s effect on bi-lateral trade flows, specifically the effects on the transport equipment manufacturing sector. In order to achieve this, a comparison of the different estimation methods applied in the gravity model literature will be employed to investigate this effect and to identify the factors affecting trade in this sector. This study uses a panel data set which comprises the most recent information on bilateral trade for the EU15 countries from 1990 to 2008. This research aims to build on the results obtained in previous studies by employing a more refined empirical methodology and associated tests. The purpose of the tests is to ensure that the euro’s effect on trade is isolated from the other pro- trade policies of the European integration processes, particularly the introduction of the Single Market. The desirable feature of this approach is that, while other studies limit their attention to a particular issue (zero trade flow, time trend, sectoral analysis, cross-correlation, etc.), very few, if any, apply a selection of techniques. Overall, the results demonstrate that the single currency’s effect on trade in this sector is limited with only the fixed effects formulation with year dummy variables showing a significant positive effect of the euro. An obvious policy implication for countries looking to adopt a single currency is that they should be cautious regarding the potential for growth in intra-bloc trade in a particular sector, although they will benefit from the on-going process of integration.

I present an overview of the tools and methods of gravitational dynamics motivated by a variety of dynamics problems. Particular focus will be given to the development of dynamic phase-space configurations as well as the distribution functions of collisionless systems. Chapter 1 is a short review of the descriptions of a gravitational system examining Poisson's equations, the probability distribution of particles, and some of the most popular model groups before working through the challenges of introducing anisotropy into a model. Chapter 2 covers the work of Barber2014b which looks at the relations between quantities in collisionless systems. Analytical methods are employed to describe a model that can violate the GDSAI, a well-known result connecting the density slope to the velocity anisotropy. We prove that this inequality cannot hold for non-separable systems and discuss the result in the context of stability theorems. Chapter 3 discusses the background for theories of gravity beyond Newton and Einstein. It covers the `dark sector' of modern astrophysics, motivates the development of MOND, and looks at some small examples of these MONDian theories in practice. Chapter 4 discusses how to perform detailed numerical simulations covering code methods for generating initial conditions and simulating them accurately in both Newtonian and MONDian approaches. The chapter ends with a quick look at the future of N-body codes. Chapters 5 and 6 contain work from Barber 2012 and Barber 2014a which look at the recent discovery of an attractor in the phase-space of collisionless systems and present a variety of results to demonstrate the robustness of the feature. Attempts are then made to narrow down the necessary and sufficient conditions for the effect while possible mechanisms are discussed. Finally, the epilogue is a short discussion on how best to communicate scientific ideas to others in a lecturing or small group setting. Particular focus is given to ideas of presentation and the relative importance of formality versus personality.

This dissertation spans topics related to global trade, oil prices, optimum currency areas, the eurozone, monetary independence, capital controls and the international monetary policy trilemma. It consists of four chapters and three essays. Chapter one provides a brief summary of all three essays. Chapter two investigates the impact of oil prices on global trade. It is concluded that when oil prices increase, countries start trading relatively more with their neighbors. As an application this chapter provides a new estimate of the eurozone effect on trade. Chapter three continues to study the eurozone and asks whether it is an optimum currency area using the member countries’ desired monetary policies. It is concluded that Greece, Spain, and Ireland have desired policies that are the least compatible with the common euro policy and are therefore the least likely to have formed an optimum currency area with the euro. Chapter four provides a new methodology in testing the international trilemma hypothesis. It is concluded that the trilemma holds in the context of the Asian countries.

Thesis (PhD (Civil Engineering))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The velocity, density and turbulence profiles of a horizontal, saline gravity current were measured experimentally. Stable stratfication damped the turbulence and prevented the gravity current from becoming self-similar. The velocity and density prfiles were measured simultaneously and non-intrusively with particle image velocimetry scalar (PIV-S) technology. The application of the PIV-S technology had to be extended in order to measure the continuously stratified gravity current. Measurement of the Reynolds fluxes and Reynolds stresses revealed the anisotropic turbulent transport of mass and momentum within the gravity current body. These measurements also allowed the interaction between turbulence and stratification to be studied. The measured profiles were used to evaluate the accuracy of a gravity current model which did not assume self-similarity. The gravity current model was based on a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) multispecies mixture model. The Reynolds flux and Reynolds stress profiles did not show self-similarity with increasing downstream distance. Comparison of the vertical and horizontal Reynolds fluxes showed that gravity strongly damped the vertical flux. At a downstream location, where the bulk Richardson number was supercritical, the shear production profile had a positive inner (near bed) peak and a positive outer peak, while the buoyancy production pro le had a negative outer peak. Further downstream, where the bulk Richardson number was near-critical, the outer shear and buoyancy production peaks disappeared, due to the continuous damping of the turbulence intensities by the stable stratification. However, near bed shearing allowed the inner shear production peak to remain. Sensitivity analyses of different turbulence models for the gravity current model showed that the standard k -e turbulence model, as well as the Renormalization Group theory (RNG) k -e turbulence model, generally underpredicted the mean streamwise velocity profile and overpredicted the excess density pro le. The flux-gradient hypothesis, used to provide closure for the Reynolds uxes, modelled the vertical Reynolds ux reasonably, but not the horizontal flux. This did not compromise the results, since the horizontal gravity current had the characteristics of a boundary-layer ow, where the horizontal flux does not contribute significantly to the flow structure. It was shown that the gravity current model, implementing the standard k -e turbulence model with a constant turbulent Schmidt number of ot = 1;3, produced profiles which were within 10% - 20% of the measured profiles.

The opening up process of the central and eastern European (CEE) countries marked new beginnings in terms of greater integration of trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) with Western Europe. Adopting a two-stage out-of-sample gravity equation approach to predicting East West trade patterns, a panel data set of bilateral exports from twelve EU countries to twenty OECD partner countries is estimated over the 1992-2003 period to examine how integrated the CEE countries are with the West European countries. In general, countries which are initially less well-integrated with the EU have strongest trade potential: among the EU accession countries, the potential candidate countries look set to benefit most whereas the mixed trade ratios among the EU associated countries reflect very diverse economic structures. Using a similar approach to project East West FDI patterns, the potential to actual ratios of FDI stocks indicate a very uneven distribution of FDI among the eleven CEE countries. The FDI stock ratios accord with patterns of regional specialisation for the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland and suggest greatest FDI potential lies with the two latest accession countries. As the West European countries represents the CEE countries main trading partners and their main sources of FDI, the nature of the trade-direct investment relation among the group of EU OECD countries is of potential importance to the CEE countries. Merging the determinants for both trade and FDI into one model and estimating the merged model as a trade equation and as an FDI equation, the EU OECD patterns of FDI are characterised by both horizontal FDI (HFDI) and vertical FDI (VFDI). The dual role of HFDI and VFDI is supported when the general model of trade and FDI determinants is estimated using an instrumental variables method and when the additional price variables of FDI and trade are interpreted as cross-price elasticity effects. In a competitive world, attracting more FDI to the CEE countries may not only mean catering to the traditional MNE motives, but can also depend on transition-related factors and host country policies. Using a panel data set of bilateral FDI flows from twelve EU countries to eleven CEE countries, the traditional determinants of direct investment along with the liberalisation process and infrastructure endowments are found to significantly affect FDI over the 1994-2003 period.

Trade is largely considered a driving force of economic growth and development of nations. To this end, there is vast and far-reaching research on the subject, especially on matters international. However, research on intra-African trade is lacking in comparison to research on trade amongst the rest of the world, not just developed, but also developing countries alike. That aside there are numerous efforts put in place to enhance and encourage trade within and without the continent. The research presented in this thesis aims to investigate and address three key issues specific to intra-Africa trade. The questions asked are: are the measures currently in place successful in the promotion of intra-Africa trade; is the continent ready for measures about to be implemented and after all that, is trade really the key driving force for economic growth and development within Africa? To answer these questions, the research presented here in this thesis employs the gravity modelling approach, the G-PPP test and develops a macro-economic model which is applied to the Kenyan economy. The results indicate that; yes, trade is significant and important in determining economic growth, and while measures taken thus far such as the creation of Economic Integrations have not been as successful as was envisioned, trade openness continues to be among the most important ways in which trade is encouraged and enhanced, to this end, although the continent is yet to fulfil all the requirements for the formation of a full-blown Economic Union, it is ready for drastic measures such as the formation of a currency union. Literature reveals that this could form the basis of hastening complete integration and harmonization of all systems of the participating economies, thereby benefiting not just trade but also all other sectors of the economies.