The classic problem, first treated by Taylor [18], of the dispersion of inert soluble matter in fluid flow continues to attract attention from researchers describing the approach to the asymptotic state [5, 17]. The present article considers some of the complications caused when the solute is chemically active, Dispersing chemically active solutes occur in diverse fields such as chromatography, chemical engineering and environmental fluid mechanics.

The asymptotic large-time analysis of Chatwin [5] is re-worked to handle the case of reactive solutes dispersing in parallel flow. Matching between moderate and large-time solutions requires consideration of the integral moments of the reactive contaminant could, and the Aris method of moments is therefore invoked and modified for reaction effects. The results are applied in detail to the outstanding paractical example—the chemical flow reactor (a device used to measure reaction rates for chemical reactions taking place between fluids). For this case, the paper provides a practical alternative to recent variable diffusion coefficient studies [6, 7, 15], and presents further results for the concentration distribution and for the limiting behaviour under weak and vigorous recactions at the boundary of the flow.

The decay at large wavenumbers of the energy density in an inertial wave generated in a sphere by an arbitrary initial disturbance is determined as a first step to a comparison with the general theory of Phillips [17] for a statistically steady field of random inertial waves in an arbitrary cavity.

Knowledge about the foliage angle density g(α) of the leaves in the canopy of trees is crucial in foresty mangement, modelling canopy reflectance, and environmental monitoring. It is usually determined from observations of the contact frequency f(β) by solving a version of the first kind Fredholm integral equation derived by Reeve (Appendix in Warren Wilson [22]). However, for inference purposes, the practitioner uses functionals defined on g(α), such as the leaf area index F, rather than g(α) itself. Miller [12] has shown that F can be computed directly from f(β) without solving the integral equation. In this paper, we show that his result is a special case of a general transformation for linear functionals defined on g(α). The key is the existence of an alternative inversion formula for the integral equation to that derived by Miller [11].

Numerical evidence is presented for the existence of unsteady periodic gravity waves of large height in deep water whose shape changes cyclically as they propagate. It is found that, for a given wavelength and maximum wave height, cyclic waves with a range of cyclic periods exist, with a steady wave of permanent shape being an extreme member of the range. The method of solution, using Fourier transforms of the nonlinear surface boundary conditions, determines the irrotational velocity field in the water and the water surface displacement as functions of space and time, from which properties of the waves are demonstrated. In particular, it is shown that cyclic waves are closer to the point of wave breaking than are steady permanent waves of the same wave height and wavelength.

Defining a spherical Struve function we show that the Struve transform of half integer order, or spherical Struve transform,

where n is a non-negative integer, may under suitable conditions be solved for f(t):

where is the sum of the first n + 1 terms in the asymptotic expansion of φn(x) as x → ∞. The coefficients in the asymptotic expansion are identified as

It is further shown that functions φn (x) which are representable as spherical Struve transforms satisfy n + 1 integral constraints, which in turn allow the construction of many equivalent inversion formulae.

Equations governing modulations of weakly nonlinear water waves are described. The modulations are coupled with wave-induced mean flows except in the case of water deeper than the modulation length scale. Equations suitable for water depths of the order the modulation length scale are deduced from those derived by Davey and Stewartson [5] and Dysthe [6]. A number of ases in which these equations reduce to a one dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation are enumerated.

Several analytical solutions of NLS equations are presented, with discussion of some of their implications for describing the propagation of water waves. Some of the solutions have not been presented in detail, or in convenient form before. One is new, a “rational” solution describing an “amplitude peak” which is isolated in space-time. Ma's [13] soli ton is particularly relevant to the recurrence of uniform wave trains in the experiment of Lake et al.[10].

In further discussion it is pointed out that although water waves are unstable to three-dimensional disturbances, an effective description of weakly nonlinear two-dimensional waves would be a useful step towards describing ocean wave propagation.

Various problems related to the propagation of small amplitude long waves on the surface of superfluid helium (helium II), usually called third sound, are studied on the basis of the appropriate governing equations. The two-fluid continuum model due to Landau is considered, with the effects of healing and relaxation incorporated, and viscosity, heat conduction and compressibility terms retained. The helium vapour is treated as a classical (Newtonian) compressible gas and the exact jump conditions across the liquid/vapour interface are employed. These liquid, vapour and jump equations constitute the exact problem although, in an effort to reduce the complexity of the equations, a simplified set of ‘model’ surface boundaiy conditions is also introduced. This full set of equations is non-dimensionalised taking care that all physical parameters are defined using only the undisturbed depth of the layer as the appropriate length scale. The ratio depth/wave-lenght (δ) is then a separate parameter as is the wave amplitude/depth ratio (ɛ). The limit which corresponds to the wave under discussion is then ɛ, δ → 0 with all the other parameters fixed.

A number of analyses are presented, four of which describe various aspects of the linearised theory and two examine the nature of the far-field nonlinear problem. Using the simplified surface boundary conditions we discuss in turn: the wave motion in the absence of healing: the rôle of a second wave speed leading to a wave hierarchy; and the effects of healing. The final linearised problem makes use of the full vapour model, but again the healing terms are ignored. This latter analysis suggests that if the upper boundary of the vapour is sufficiently close to the liquid surface then third sound is suppressed.

The complexity of the equations, particularly when the nonlinear terms are to be examined, is such that the incompressible limit is now taken in the absence of both healing and relaxation. Imposing the physically realistic limiting process (ɛ, δ → 0) we show that the only equation valid in the far-field is the Burgers equation. However, we also demonstrate that allowing the other parameters to be functions of e (which is not physically realisable in practice) it is easy to derive, for example, the Korteweg-de Vries equation.

A solution is found for a line source or sink beneath a free surface, at a unique squared Froude number of 12.622.

The motion of small, near neutrally buoyant tracers in vortex flows of several types is obtained on the basis of Charwat's mathematical model, which is highly non-linear.

The solution method in the non-degenerate case expresses the squared orbital radius r2 as a product AA*, where the complex number A satisfies a second-order linear differential ‘factor equation’, generally with variable coefficients. The angular coordinate is expressed in terms of log(A*/A). Solid-type rotation and sinusoidally perturbed solid-type rotation correspond respectively to constant coefficients and sinusoidal coefficients. The former exactly yields a scalloped spiral tracer motion; the latter yields unstable tracer motion as t → ∞ except when the perturbing frequency and amplitude are rather specially related to the flow and tracer parameters. Free vortex motion is somewhat degenerate for this solution method but can be partially analyzed in terms of solutions of a generalized Emden–Fowler equation. The method can be used for other planar flow problems with a symmetry axis.

The paper uses the factorisation method to discuss solutions of period three for the difference equation

which has been proposed as a simple mathematical model for the effect of frequency dependent selection in genetics. Numerical values are obtained for the critical values of a at which solutions of period three first appear. In addition, the interval in which stable solutions are possible has been determined. Exact solutions are given for the case a = 4 and these have been used to check the results.

Sufficient conditions are obtained for the existence of a unique linearly asymptotically stable positive periodic solution of an ecosystem model of two species competition in a periodic environment with time lags in interspecific interactions. It is shown that if the self-regulating intraspecific interaction effects are strong enough and act without time delays then time delays of any length in the interspecific interactions cannot destabilise an otherwise stable ecosystem in a periodic environment.

The Zakharov-Shabat scattering transform is an exact solution technique for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation, which describes the time evolution of weakly nonlinear wave trains. Envelope soliton and uniform wave train solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation are separable in scattering transform space. The scattering transform is a potential analysis and synthesis technique for natural wave trains. Discrete versions of the direct and inverse scattering transform are presented, together with proven algorithms for their numerical computation from typical ocean wave records. The consequences of discrete resolution are considered.

Iterative methods for solving systems of linear equations may be accelerated by coarse mesh rebalance techniques. The iterative technique, the Method of Implicit Non-stationary Iteration (MINI), is examined through a local-mode Fourier analysis and compared to relaxation techniques as a potential candidate for such acceleration. Results of a global-mode Fourier analysis for MINI, relaxation methods, and the conjugate gradient method are reported for two test problems.

In this paper we develop the Laplace-transform method to solve initial-value problems for the velocity potential describing the generation of infinitesimal capillary-gravity waves in a motionless liquid with an inertial surface composed of uniformly distributed floating particles. The two principal problems considered are the forced motions due to a submerged wave source and an immersed vertical plane wave-maker, which begin to operate in a time-dependent manner at a given instant. The transformed potentials are calculated using techniques similar to those which are effective in traditional time-harmonic problems with a free surface. The steady-state development in the time-harmonic example taken demonstrates the existence of outgoing progressive waves under any inertial surface, in contrast to the case of no surface tension when such waves cannot propagate under an inertial surface that is too heavy. The solution is also noted of the Cauchy-Poisson problem for the free motion flowing an intial elevation of the inertial surface, which is obtained by the same method.

Random transition probability matrices with stationary independent factors define “white noise” environment processes for Markov chains. Two examples are considered in detail. Such environment processes can be used to construct several Markov chains which are dependent, have the same transition probabilities and are jointly a Markov chain. Transition rates for such processes are evaluated. These results have application to the study of animal movements.

Assuming a travelling oscillating pressure source model, this paper sets out to investigate the observation of surface gravity waves generated by a cyclone moving with constant speed v. It is shown that when the source frequency is near the critical resonant value g/4ν, large amplitude waves may be generated. There is some agreement with observations of waves from cyclone Pam of February, 1974.

A theorem is derived for the hydrodynanuc image of an axially symmetric slow viscous (Stokes) flow in a sphere which is impermeable and free of shear stress. A second theorem establishes a sense in which such a flow past an arbitrary rigid surface or shear-free sphere becomes, on inversion in an arbitrary sphere with its centre on the axis of symmetry, a flow past the rigid or shear-free inverse of that surface or sphere.

The theorems are used to simplify the proofs of a number of known results for images of point singularities in plane and spherical rigid and free boundaries, and for a pair of bubbles rising steadily in line in a viscous fluid. They also give for the first time accurate numerical solutions for the velocities of each of a larger number of spherical bubbles rising quasi-steadily in line. These enable one to assess the accuracy of simple approximations to those velocities.

The interaction of a surface wave of angular frequency ω with a deeply submerged, vertical open-mouthed, circular duct of radius a is considered. The resulting boundary- value problem is solved by the Wiener-Hopf technique. The pressure-amplification factor (the ratio of the complex amplitude of the pressure in the depths of the duct to that of the incident wave in the plane of the mouth) is determined in closed form as a function of the dimensionless wave number K = ω2a/g.

It is shown that if intraspecific self-regulating negative feedback effects are strong enough such that a nontrivial steady state of a two species system is locally asymptotically stable, then time delays in the positive feedback as well as in other interspecific interactions cannot destabilise the system and hence delay induced instability leading to persistent oscillations is impossible whatever the magnitude of the time delays. A method is also proposed for an estimate of decay rate of perturbations.

The main ideas of Hopf bifurcation theory and its relevance to the development of periodic motions of an autonomous system depending on a parameter are presented, and an algorithm for the computation of the orbits is described. It is then shown that a model system for the motion of a wheelset can be cast in the form amenable to Hopf bifurcation theory. Numerical results for the period and amplitudes of the lateral and yaw motions are obtained in terms of the forward speed of the wheelset, and the wheel-rail profile parameters.

It is found that the period of oscillation decreases while the lateral and yaw motion amplitudes increase as the forward speed increases, for any given rail and wheel profile. While the effect of wheel curvature on the lateral motions seems to be non-existent, its effect on the yaw motion amplitude and the period is to increase them very slightly as the wheel profile changes from a conical to a curved profile. On the other hand, the effect of rail curvature on the lateral amplitude, for instance, is significant; the larger the curvature the smaller the amplitude for a given forward speed.