Recently Dragomir and Goh have produced some interesting new bounds relating to entropy measures in information theory. We establish several refinements of their results.

In this paper some existence results for third-order differential equations with nonlinear boundary value conditions are derived. Functional dependence in the data is allowed. In the proofs we use the method of upper and lower solutions, Schauder's fixed point theorem and results from Cabada and Heikkilä on third-order differential equations with linear and nonfunctional initial-boundary value conditions.

Additional convergence results are given for the approximate solution in the space L2(a, b) of Fredholm integral equations of the second kind, y = f + Ky, by the degenerate-kernel methods of Sloan, Burn and Datyner. Convergence to the exact solution is provided for a class of these methods (including ‘method 2’), under suitable conditions on the kernel K, and error bounds are obtained. In every case the convergence is faster than that of the best approximate solution of the form yn = Σnan1u1, where u1, …, un are the appropriate functions used in the rank-n degenerate-kernel approximation. In addition, the error for method 2 is shown to be relatively unaffected if the integral equation has an eigenvalue near 1.

The asymptotic properties of solutions of the non-linear eigenvalue problem, associated with the homogeneoud Dirichlet problem for

are investigated. Here f and g are smooth functions of position in a finite plane region with a smooth boundary. The results for the positive solution are well established, but knowledge of other branches of solutions is scarce. Here positive solutions are pieced together across lines partitioning the domain, and variational arguments are framed, as an effective means of locating the lines, so that the composite function is everywhere a solution of *. Heuristic arguments suggest strongly that there is a close relationship between the nodal lines of * and certain classes of weighted geodesic lines defined by the classical variational problem for the functional

which provides an effective basis for computation. Some results are proved but others remain conjectures. Analogous results are proved for the associated ordinary differential equation. The geometry of the solutions is surprisingly restricted when the coefficients are spatially variable. The arguments are extended to a class of reactive, diffusive systems. It is possible to predict the pattern of domains of different outcomes in terms of properties of the surface on which the reactions occur, without a knowledge of the chemical kinetics. The results appear to provide a basis for stringent testing of the postulated role of reactive-diffusive mechanisms in the formation of complex patterns in biological species.

In this paper we consider simplifying a model of the nitrogen cycle in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia. The approach taken is to aggregate state variables that are linearly related using a projection in state space. The technique involved is a modification of proper orthogonal decomposition and was developed so that a resulting simplified model retains an ecological interpretation. It can be applied automatically, and enables insights into the system to be gained that were not obvious beforehand. In the case of the Port Phillip Bay model, we find that the variables representing water and sand are unaffected by the remaining variables, while only variables on the same trophic level can be grouped together. The validity of the aggregation under several nutrient loads is also discussed.

We prove the existence of optimal control for nonlinear systems having implicit derivative with quadratic performace criteria.

The problem of passing from an L∞ function to a Wiener-Hopf factorization is considered. It is shown that a small L∞ perturbation which does not change the factorization indices will lead to small Lp (1 < p < ∞) perturbations in the Wiener-Hopf factors, but can lead to large L∞ perturbations, unless the derivatives are controlled during the perturbation.

In this paper we establish the existence of solutions of a more general class of stochastic integral equation of Volterra type. The main tools used here are the measure of noncompactness and the fixed point theorem of Darbo. The results generalize the results of Tsokos and Padgett [9] and Szynal and Wedrychowicz [7]. An application to a stochastic model arising in chemotherapy is discussed.

The steady flow of an incompressible viscous non-Newtonian electrically conducting fluid and heat transfer due to the rotation of an infinite disk are studied considering the Hall effect. The effects of an externally applied uniform magnetic field, the Hall current, and the non-Newtonian fluid characteristics on the velocity and temperature distributions as well as the heat transfer are considered. Numerical solutions of the nonlinear equations which govern the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and energy transfer are obtained over the entire range of the physical parameters.

Analytical, approximate and numerical methods are used to study the Neumann boundary value problem

− uxx + q2u = u2(1 + sin x), for 0 < x < π,

subject to ux(0) = 0, ux(π) = 0,

for q2 ∈ (0,∞). Asymptotic approximations to (1) are found for q2 small and q2 large. In the case where q2 is large u(x) ≈ 3qδ(x − π/2). When q2 = 0 we show that the only possible solution is u ≡ 0. However, there exist non-zero solutions for q2 > 0 as well as the trivial solution u ≡ 0. To O(q4) in the q2 small case u(x) = q2π(π + 2)−1, so that bifurcation occurs about the trivial solution branch u ≡ 0 at the first eigenvalue λ0 = 0 and in the direction of the first eigenfunction ξ0 = constant.

We obtain a bifurcation diagram for (1), which confirms that there exists a positive solution for q2 ∈ (0, 10). Symmetry-breaking bifurcations and blow-up behaviour occur on certain regions of the diagram. We show that all non-trival solutions to the problem must be positive.

The formal outer solution u = q2û appears to satisfy û = û2(1 + sin x), so that û ≡ 0 and û = (1 + sin x)−1 are possible limit solutions. However, in the non-trivial case ûx(0) = −1 and ûx(π) = 1; this means that û does not satisfy the boundary conditions required for a solution of (1). This behaviour usually implies that for q2 large a boundary layer exists near x = 0 (and one near x = π), which corrects the slope. However, we find no evidence for such a solution structure, and only find perturbations in the direction of a delta function about u ≡ 0. We show using the monotone convergence theorem for quadratic forms that the inverse of the operator on the left-hand side of (1) is strongly convergent as q2 → ∞. We show that strong convergence of the operator is sufficient to stop outer-layer behaviour occurring.

In Part I of this series, surface tension was included in the classical two-dimensional planing-surface problem, and the usual smooth-detachment trailing-edge condition enforced. However, the results exhibited a paradox, in that the classical results were not approached in the limit as the surface tension approached zero. This paradox is resolved here by abandoning the smooth-detachment condition, that is, by allowing a jump discontinuity in slope between the planing surface and the free surface at the trailing edge. A unique solution is obtainable for any input planing surface at fixed wetted length if one allows such jumps at both leading and trailing edges. If, as is the case in practice, the wetted length is allowed to vary, uniqueness may be restored by requiring either, but not both, of these slope discontinuities to vanish. The results of Part I correspond to the seemingly more-natural choice of making the trailing-edge detachment continuous, but it appears that the correct choice is to require the leading-edge attachment to be continuous.

For isotropic incompressible hyperelastic materials the single function characterizing generalized shear deformations or as they are sometimes called anti-plane strain deformations must satisfy two distinct partial differential equations. Knowles [5] has recently given a necessary and sufficient condition for the strain–energy function of the material which if satisfied ensures that the two equations have consistent solutions. It is shown here for the general material not satisfying Knowles' criterion that the only possible consistent solution of the two partial differential equations are those which are already known to exist for all strain–energy functions. More general types of generalized shear deformations for such meterials are shown to exist only for special or restricted form ot the strain-energy function. In derving these results we also obtain an alternative derivation of Knowles' criterion.

We discuss Ablowitz-Segur's connection problem for the second Painlevé equation from the viewpoint of WKB analysis of Painlevé transcendents with a large parameter. The formula they first discovered is rederived from a suitable combination of connection formulas for the first Painlevé equation.

Many boundary value problems occur in a natural way while studying fluid flow problems in a channel. The solutions of two such boundary value problems are obtained and analysed in the context of flow problems involving three layers of fluids of different constant densities in a channel, associated with an impermeable bottom that has a small undulation. The top surface of the channel is either bounded by a rigid lid or free to the atmosphere. The fluid in each layer is assumed to be inviscid and incompressible, and the flow is irrotational and two-dimensional. Only waves that are stationary with respect to the bottom profile are considered in this paper. The effect of surface tension is neglected. In the process of obtaining solutions for both the problems, regular perturbation analysis along with a Fourier transform technique is employed to derive the first-order corrections of some important physical quantities. Two types of bottom topography, such as concave and convex, are considered to derive the profiles of the interfaces. We observe that the profiles are oscillatory in nature, representing waves of variable amplitude with distinct wave numbers propagating downstream and with no wave upstream. The observations are presented in tabular and graphical forms.

The dispersion of a passive solute in three-dimensional flow is examined for short times after the injection of solute. If the diffusivity is constant, the solute at first diffuses isotropically about the fluid particle originally coincident with the injection point whilst, at longer times, the effect of diffusion across a velocity shear becomes more important. An asymptotic expansion is derived for the concentration of solute at small times after its injection into the fluid flow and the use of the theory is illustrated for three representative flows. Some critical remarks on the applicability and limitations of the results conclude the note.

The discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method provides a robust and flexible technique for the time integration of fractional diffusion problems. However, a practical implementation uses coefficients defined by integrals that are not easily evaluated. We describe specialized quadrature techniques that efficiently maintain the overall accuracy of the DG method. In addition, we observe in numerical experiments that known superconvergence properties of DG time stepping for classical diffusion problems carry over in a modified form to the fractional-order setting.

Let u be a random signal with realisations in an infinite-dimensional vector space X and υ an associated observable random signal with realisations in a finite-dimensional subspace Y ⊆ X. We seek a pointwise-best estimate of u using a bounded linear filter on the observed data vector υ. When x is a finite-dimensional Euclidean space and the covariance matrix for υ is nonsingular, it is known that the best estimate û of u is given by a standard matrix expression prescribing a linear mean-square filter. For the infinite-dimensional Hilbert space problem we show that the matrix expression must be replaced by an analogous but more general expression using bounded linear operators. The extension procedure depends directly on the theory of the Bochner integral and on the construction of appropriate HilbertSchmidt operators. An extended example is given.

The superintegrable chiral Potts model has many resemblances to the Ising model, so it is natural to look for algebraic properties similar to those found for the Ising model by Onsager, Kaufman and Yang. The spontaneous magnetization ℳr can be written in terms of a sum over the elements of a matrix Sr. The author conjectured the form of the elements, and this conjecture has been verified by Iorgov et al. The author also conjectured in 2008 that this sum could be expressed as a determinant, and has recently evaluated the determinant to obtain the known result for ℳr. Here we prove that the sum and the determinant are indeed identical expressions. Since the order parameters of the superintegrable chiral Potts model are also those of the more general solvable chiral Potts model, this completes the algebraic calculation of ℳr for the general model.

We prove a continuous version of a relaxation theorem for the nonconvex Darboux problem xlt ε F(t, τ, x, xt, xτ). This result allows us to use Warga's open mapping theorem for deriving necessary conditions in the form of a maximum principle for optimization problems with endpoint constraints. Neither constraint qualification nor regularity assumption is supposed.

The dual integral equations describing heat flow about a circular Heat Flux Sensor on the surface of a layered medium are derived and discussed, together with the extent to which the Heat Flux Sensor measures the heat flow which would occur in the absence of a Heat Flux Sensor. An asymptotic analysis provides new analytical results supporting those derived previously by numerical methods.

It is suggested that some properties of the general problem of a Heat Flux Sensor on the surface of a multiply-layered medium can be approximated by a lumped-parameter model depending on only four non-dimensional numbers: namely, two non-dimensional linear heat transfer coefficients, and essentially two non-dimensional thermal resistances. Some support for the lumped parameter model is provided.