We consider the eigenvalue problem associated with the vibrations of a string with rapidly oscillating periodic density. In a previous paper we stated asymptotic formulae for the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions when the size of the microstructure ε is shorter than the wavelength of the eigenfunctions 1/√λε. On the other hand, it has been observed that when the size of the microstructure is of the order of the wavelength of the eigenfunctions (ε ∼ 1/√λε) singular phenomena may occur. In this paper we study the behaviour of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions when 1/√λε is larger than the critical size ε. We use the WKB approximation which allows us to find an explicit formula for eigenvalues and eigenfunctions with respect to ε. Our analysis provides all order correction formulae for the limit eigenvalues and eigenfunctions above the critical size. Each term of the asymptotic expansion requires one more derivative of the density. Thus, a full description requires the density to be C∞ smooth.

Coarsening of solutions of the integro-differential equation

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where Ω ⊂ ℝn, J(·) [ges ] 0, ε > 0 and f(u) = u3 − u (or similar bistable nonlinear term), is examined, and compared with results for the Allen–Cahn partial differential equation. Both equations are used as models of solid phase transitions. In particular, it is shown that when ε is small enough, solutions of this integro-differential equation do not coarsen, in contrast to those of the Allen–Cahn equation. The special case J(·) ≡ 1 is explored in detail, giving insight into the behaviour in the more general case J(·) [ges ] 0. Also, a numerical approximation method is outlined and used on tests in both one- and two-space dimensions to verify and illustrate the main result.

Exact analytical representations are obtained describing self-similar unsteady flows of multi-phase immiscible fluids in the vicinity of non-circular, but constant strength, fronts. It is assumed that Darcy's law holds for each phase and that the mobilities are known functions of the saturations. Equivalent representations are obtained for Hele-Shaw cell flows that are produced when a viscous fluid is injected into a region containing some other viscous fluid. The fluids may be Newtonian fluids or non-Newtonian fluids for which the coefficients of viscosity depend on the shear stress. Even though the flows are unsteady and two dimensional, the representations are obtained by using hodograph techniques.

This work presents an asymptotic algorithm for the derivation of equations of thin elastic shells. The algorithm is based on the analysis of a boundary value problem for the Navier system in a thin region. The analysis covers both the membrane theory and the moment theory of elastic shells, including the eigenvalue problems.

The intersection exponent ξ for simple random walk in two and three dimensions gives a measure of the rate of decay of the probability that paths do not intersect. In this paper we show that the intersection exponent for random walks is the same as that for Brownian motion and show in fact that the probability of nonintersection up to distance n is comparable (equal up to multiplicative constants) to n−ξ.

We examine the specialization to simple matroids of certain problems in extremal matroid theory that are concerned with bounded cocircuit size. Assume that each cocircuit of a simple matroid M has at most d elements. We show that if M has rank 3, then M has at most d + [lfloor]√d[rfloor] + 1 points, and we classify the rank-3 simple matroids M that have exactly d + [lfloor]√d[rfloor] points. We show that if M is a connected matroid of rank 4 and d is q3 with q > 1, then M has at most q3 + q2 + q + 1 points; this upper bound is strict unless q is a prime power, in which case the only such matroid with exactly q3 + q2 + q + 1 points is the projective geometry PG(3, q). We also show that if d is q4 for a positive integer q and if M has rank 5 and is vertically 5-connected, then M has at most q4 + q3 + q2 + q + 1 points; this upper bound is strict unless q is a prime power, in which case PG(4, q) is the only such matroid that attains this bound.