We study the dynamics of dissipation and blow-up in a critical-case unstable thin film equation. The governing equation is a nonlinear fourth-order degenerate parabolic PDE derived from a generalized model for lubrication flows of thin viscous fluid layers on solid surfaces. %For a special balance between %destabilizing second-order terms and regularizing fourth-order terms, There is a critical mass for blow-up and a rich set of dynamics including families of similarity solutions for finite-time blow-up and infinite-time spreading. The structure and stability of the steady-states and the compactly-supported similarity solutions is studied.

The characterisation of those shapes that can be made by the gravity sag-bending manufacturing process used to produce car windscreens and lenses is modelled as an inverse problem in linear plate theory. The corresponding second-order partial differential equation for the Young's modulus is shown to change type (possibly several times) for certain target shapes. We consider the implications of this behaviour for the existence and uniqueness of solutions of the inverse problem for some frame geometries. In particular, we show that no general boundary conditions for the inverse problem can be prescribed if it is desired to achieve certain kinds of target shapes.

A model for the dynamic thermomechanical behavior of a viscoelastic beam which is in frictional contact with a rigid rotating wheel is presented. It describes a simple braking system in which the wheel comes to a stop as a result of the frictional traction generated by the beam. Friction is modelled with a temperature and slip rate dependent coefficient of friction. Frictional heat generation is taken into account as well as the wheel temperature evolution, and the wear of the beam's contacting end. The model is formulated as a variational inequality. A FEM numerical scheme for the model is described, implemented, and the results of numerical simulations are shown.

A variety of models on the interaction between glucose and insulin have been suggested over the last 50 years. One, developed by Sturis et al. [19], and consisting of six nonlinear ordinary differential equations, has been widely accepted. However, the model has the disadvantage of containing auxiliary variables which have no clinical interpretation. In this paper we study an alternative model which incorporates a time delay explicitly, negating the need for the auxiliary equations. A simplifying assumption of having just one insulin compartment reduces the number of equations still further. We then study the resulting system of two differential delay equations, establishing results on positivity, boundedness, persistence and global asymptotic stability. For the latter, two quite different approaches are employed: comparison principles and Lyapunov functionals. The two approaches provide different sets of sufficient conditions for global stability, so that we investigate different regions of parameter space.

This paper considers the nonlinear stability oftravelling wavefronts of a time-delayed diffusive Nicholson blowflies equation. We prove that, under a weighted L2 norm, ifa solution is sufficiently close to a travelling wave front initially, it converges exponentially to the wavefront as t → ∞. The rate ofconvergence is also estimated.

In the first part of this paper, a variational characterization of parts of the Fučík spectrum for the Laplacian in a bounded domain Ω is given. The proof uses a linking theorem on sets obtained through a suitable deformation of subspaces of H1 (Ω). In the second part, a nonlinear Sturm–Liouville equation with Neumann boundary conditions on an interval is considered, where the nonlinearity intersects all but a finite number of eigenvalues. It is proved that, under certain conditions, this equation is solvable for arbitrary forcing terms. The proof uses a comparison of the minimax levels of the functional associated to this equation with suitable values related to the Fucík spectrum.

We study the Cauchy problem for the spatially homogeneous Landau equation for Fermi–Dirac particles, in the case of hard and Maxwellian potentials. We establish existence and uniqueness of a weak solution for a large class of initial data.

In this paper, we study existence of solutions with boundary layer and peaks for an elliptic problem. We prove that the problem has a mountain-pass-type solution, which has a boundary layer and a single peak near the boundary. Moreover, we also study the existence of solutions with interior peak.

The relationship of the Lp (Rn) estimate and two endpoint estimates for the multi-linear singular integral operators is considered. Some conditions are given under which one of these estimates implies the others.

We rigorously approach the Schrödinger equation of derivative type qt + iqxx + λ |q|2qx + μq2q̄x = 0, λ ∈ R, μ ∈ C, by the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation AT + i AXX + i k0 (λ − μ) |A|2A = 0. We also study the case of the KdV-like equation qt + i qxx + aqxxx + i |q|2q + λ̃ (|q|2q)x + μ̃ |q|2qx = 0, λ̃ μ̃ ∈ R, arising in optical physics.

Convergent expansions are derived for three types of orthogonal polynomials: Charlier, Laguerre and Jacobi. The expansions have asymptotic properties for large values of the degree. The expansions are given in terms of functions that are special cases of the given polynomials. The method is based on expanding integrals in one or two points of the complex plane, these points being saddle points of the phase functions of the integrands.

Given an infinite-dimensional vector space V, we consider the semigroup GS (m, n) consisting of all injective linear α: V → V for which codim ran α = n, where dim V = m ≥ n ≥ ℵ0. This is a linear version of the well-known Baer–Levi semigroup BL (p, q) defined on an infinite set X, where |X| = p ≥ q ≥ ℵ0. We show that, although the basic properties of GS (m, n) are the same as those of BL (p, q), the two semigroups are never isomorphic. We also determine all left ideals of GS (m, n) and some of its maximal subsemigroups; in this, we follow previous work on BL (p, q) by Sutov and Sullivan as well as Levi and Wood.

We study a boundary-value problem for a particular semilinear elliptic equation on Rn (n ≥ 2), whose solutions represent generalized stream functions for steady axisymmetric ideal fluid flows. Solutions are shown to exist that generalize those already known in dimensions 2 and 3. An isoperimetric characterization is given for our solutions, which represent generalized spherical vortex-rings. As a corollary, a sharp Sobolev-type inequality is obtained.

We obtain heat-kernel estimates for higher-order operators with measurable coefficients that can be singular or degenerate. Precise constants are given, which are sharp for small times.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 35K30; 47D06. Secondary 35K25; 35K35

Let $k$ be a field, and let $\alpha$ and $\alpha'$ be two algebraic numbers conjugate over $k$. We prove a result which implies that if $L\subset k(\alpha,\alpha')$ is an abelian or Hamiltonian extension of $k$, then $[L:k]\leq[k(\alpha):k]$. This is related to a certain question concerning the degree of an algebraic number and the degree of a quotient of its two conjugates provided that the quotient is a root of unity, which was raised (and answered) earlier by Cantor. Moreover, we introduce a new notion of the non-torsion power of an algebraic number and prove that a monic polynomial in $X$—irreducible over a real field and having $m$ roots of equal modulus, at least one of which is real—is a polynomial in $X^m$.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 11R04; 11R20; 11R32; 12F10

Let $u$ be a solution of a generalized Cauchy–Riemann system in $\mathbb{R}^n$. Suppose that $|u|\le1$ in the unit ball and $|u|\le\varepsilon$ on some closed set $E$. Classical results say that if $E$ is a set of positive Lebesgue measure, then $|u|\le C\varepsilon^\alpha$ on any compact subset of the unit ball. In the present work the same estimate is proved provided that $E$ is a subset of a hyperplane and the (capacitary) dimension of $E$ is greater than $n-2$. The proof gives control of constants $C$ and $\alpha$.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 31B35. Secondary 35B35; 35J45

In two previous papers we established the structure of the normal closure of a cyclic permutable subgroup $A$ of a finite group, first when $A$ has odd order and second when $A$ has even order, but with an extra hypothesis that was unnecessary in the odd case. Here we describe the most general situation without any restrictions on $A$.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 20D35; 20D40

The singular boundary-value problem $(g(x'))'=\mu f(t,x,x')$, $x'(0)=0$, $x(T)=b>0$ is considered. Here $\mu$ is the parameter and $f(t,x,y)$, which satisfies local Carathéodory conditions on $[0,T]\times(\mathbb{R}\setminus\{b\})\times(\mathbb{R}\setminus\{0\})$, may be singular at the values $x=b$ and $y=0$ of the phase variables $x$ and $y$, respectively. Conditions guaranteeing the existence of a positive solution to the above problem for suitable positive values of $\mu$ are given. The proofs are based on regularization and sequential techniques and use the topological transversality theorem.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 34B16; 34B18

We prove that the Bergman projection on $L^p(w)$ $(p\neq 2)$, where $w(r)=(1-r^2)^A\textrm{e}^{-B/(1-r^2)^{\alpha}}$, is not bounded.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 47B10