Any solution to the problem

is shown to decay to zero in the strong topology of the energy space as t→ ∞. The function β is allowed to be nonmonotone and d is a nonnegative function strictly positive on a nonvoid subset of (0, л).

The steady states of the Cahn–Hilliard equation are studied as a function of interval length, L, and average mass, m. We count the number of nontrivial monotone increasing steady state solutions and demonstrate that if m lies within the spinodal region then for a.e. there is an even number of such solutions and for a.e. there is an odd number of such solutions. If m lies within the metastable region, then for a.e. L > 0 there is an even number of solutions. Furthermore, we prove that for all values of m, there are no secondary bifurcations.

In this paper, we show that the Hofer-Zehnder symplectic capacity of a two-dimensional manifold is same as the area of the manifold. Using this fact, we also get a result on the symplectic capacity of the cotangent bundle of the torus with its canonical symplectic form.

All Archimedean commutative semigroups S are described such that every S-homogeneous hereditary radical is S-normal. It is shown that this result is in a sense unimprovable.

The Cauchy problem of ut, = ∆uα + uβ, where 0 < α < l and α>1, is studied. It is proved that if 1< β<α + 2/n then every nontrivial non-negative solution is not global in time. But if β>α+ 2/n there exist both blow-up solutions and global positive solutions which decay to zero as t–1/(β–1) when t →∞. Thus the famous Fujita result on ut = ∆u + up is generalised to the present fast diffusion equation. Furthermore, regarding the equation as an infinite dimensional dynamical system on Sobolev space W1,s (W2.s) with S > 1, a non-uniqueness result is established which shows that there exists a positive solution u(x, t) with u(., t) → 0 in W1.s (W2.s) as t → 0.

We consider the diffusion-advection equation ut = uxx + (ε/(1 − u)β)x(ε >0, β >0), 0 < x < 1, t >0, under the boundary conditions ux + ε/(1 − u)β = 0. We prove that there is a critical number ε(β) such that when ε < ε(β) for certain initial data a global solution exists and converges to the corresponding stationary solution; any solution must quench (u reaches one in finite or infinite time) if ε ≧ε(β). We also show that quenching can only occur at x = 0, and that for each ε > 0 there exist initial data for which the solution quenches in finite time.

For a Hasse domain R in a global field F, the distribution of genera of R-lattices with specified invariants among the nonisometric quadratic spaces over F which contain them is studied. It is shown that such genera are equally distributed for spaces of dimension 2, but that this is not generally the case for spaces of dimension exceeding 2. Theresult in the binary case yields an extension of a dimension exceeding 2. The result in the binary case yields an extension of a theorem of Gauss.

Let be the one-sided maximal operator and let Ф be a convex non-decreasing function on (0, ∞), Ф(0) = 0. We present necessary and sufficient conditions on a couple of weight functions (σ, ϱ) such that the integral inqualities of weak type

and of extra-weak type

hold. Our proofs do not refer to the theory of Orlicz spaces.

We consider a class of measure-valued Markov processes constructed by taking a superprocess over some underlying Markov process and conditioning it to stay alive forever. We obtain two representations of such a process. The first representation is in terms of an “immortal particle” that moves around according to the underlying Markov process and throws off pieces of mass, which then proceed to evolve in the same way that mass evolves for the unconditioned superprocess. As a consequence of this representation, we show that the tail σ-field of the conditioned superprocess is trivial if the tail σ-field of the underlying process is trivial. The second representation is analogous to one obtained by LeGall in the unconditioned case. It represents the conditioned superprocess in terms of a certain process taking values in the path space of the underlying process. This representation is useful for studying the “transience” and “recurrence” properties of the closed support process.

It is shown that for each v ∊ {0, 1, 2}, the class of v-primitive near-rings is not axiomatisable.

The singularly perturbed differential-delay equation

is studied for a class of step-function nonlinearities f. We show that in general the discrete system

does not mirror the dynamics of (*), even for small ε, but that rather a different system

does. Here F is related to, but different from, f, and describes the evolution of transition layers. In this context, we also study the effects of smoothing out the discontinuities of f.

Piecewise-circular (PC) curves are made up of circular arcs and segments of straight lines, joined so that the (undirected) tangent line turns continuously. PC curves have arisen in various applications where they are used to approximate smooth curves. In a previous paper, the authors introduced some of their geometrical properties. In this paper they investigate the ‘symmetry sets’ of PC curves and one-parameter families of such curves. The symmetry set has also arisen in applications (this time to shape recognition) and its mathematical properties for smooth curves have been investigated by Bruce, Giblin and Gibson. It turns out that the symmetry sets of general one-parameter families of plane curves are mirrored remarkably faithfully by the symmetry sets arising from the much simpler class of PC curves.

We consider three models of multiple-step combustion processes on bounded spatial domains. Previously, steady-state convergence results have been established for these models with zero Neumann boundary conditions imposed on the temperature as well as the mass fractions. We retain here throughout the same boundary conditions on the mass fractions, but in our first set of results we establish steady-state convergence results with fixed Dirichlet boundary conditions on the temperature. Next, under certain physically reasonable assumptions, we develop, for two of the models, estimates on the decay rates of both mass fractions to zero, while for the remaining model we develop estimates on the decay rate of one concentration to zero and establish a positive lower bound on the other mass fraction. These results hold under either set of boundary conditions, but when the Dirichlet conditions are imposed on the temperature, we are able to obtain estimates on the rate of convergence of the temperature to its (generally nonconstant) steady-state. Finally, we improve the results of a previous paper by adding a temperature convergence result.