The spectral function , where are the eigenvalues of the two-dimensional Laplacian, is studied for a variety of domains. The dependence of θ(t) on the connectivity of a domain and the impedance boundary conditions is analysed. Particular attention is given to a doubly-connected region together with the impedance boundary conditions on its boundaries.

In this, the first of three papers, we examine conditions, derived previously, which specify the equilibrium solutions of an adjustment process for N players engaged in a game with continuous (in fact, continuously differentiable) payoff functions, where each player's strategy is to choose a single real number. It is equivalent to the basic form of quantity-variation competition between N firms. The conditions are related to a new optimum which takes account of the ability of firms, or coalitions of firms, to discipline another firm that tries to increase its own profit. Closely related optima are also introduced and analysed. The new optima occupy N-dimensional regions in the strategy space, and contain the optima of Cournot, Pareto, von-Neumann and Morgenstern, and Nash as special cases.

We revisit the singular eigensolution to the steady state one-speed transport equation for an isotropically scattering and multiplying heterogeneous slab. It is proved that this solution is a sum of Stieltjes integrals over the resolvent set of only the operator of multiplication by the angular variable.

The paper asks and answers the question “When does dominance of a particular strategy play a role in the search for evolutionary stable strategies?” The answer is much less obvious than would appear at first glance.

When there is strict dominance of a pure strategy, it is clear that the dominated strategy should never be employed in any conflict. However, when the dominance is not strict it is less obvious that the strategy should not be used. The research was originally intended to clear up this grey area in the theory of evolutionary stable strategies, but it has turned out to be of more than simply academic interest. The result can be used, with varying degrees of success, to simplify the search procedure for these evolutionary stable strategies when a reward matrix is given.

In this paper we consider a pair of horizontal conducting loops in the air above a horizontally layered ground. The transmitting loop is driven by a current source which rises from zero at time zero to a final constant value at time τ. We first compute the e.m.f. induced in the receiving loop and derive an asymptotic series for the e.m.f. at late times. Secondly, we estimate the error in truncating the asymptotic series at N terms and design a reliable numerical algorithm for summing the asymptotic series.

Various grometrical properties of a domain may be elicited from the asymptotic expansion of a spectral function of the Laplacian operator for that region with apporpriate boundary conditions. Explicit calculations, using analytical formulae for the eigenvalues, are performed for the cases fo Neumann and mixed boundary conditions, extending earlier work involving Dirichet boundary conditions. Two- and three-dimensional cases are considered. Simply-connected regions dealt with are the rectangle, annular sector, and cuboid. Evaluations are carried out for doubly-connected regions, including the narrow annulus, annular cylinder, and thin concentric spherical cavity. The main summation tool is the Poission summation formula. The calculations utilize asymptotic expansions of the zeros of the eigenvalue equations involving Bessel and related functions, in the cases of curved boundaries with radius ratio near unity. Conjectures concerning the form of the contributions due to corners, edges and vertices in the case of Neumann and mixed boundary conditions are presented.

Duffing's equation, in its simplest form, can be approximated by various non-linear difference equations. It is shown that a particular choice can be solved in closed form giving periodic solutions.

In a paper by Teo and Jennings, a constraint transcription is used together with the concept of control parametrisation to devise a computational algorithm for solving a class of optimal control problems involving terminal and continuous state constraints of inequality type. The aim of this paper is to extend the results to a more general class of constrained optimal control problems, where the problem is also subject to terminal equality state constraints. For illustration, a numerical example is included.

The effectiveness of four techniques for producing wide sense stationary data with exponential semivariograms is examined. Comparison is made primarily on the basis of the observed semivariograms. The LU decomposition of the covariance matrix appears to most accurately model specified semivariograms, whilst the more computationally efficient Matrix Polynomial approximation and Turning Bands methods may be more useful in practice.

The time fractional diffusion equation with appropriate initial and boundary conditions in an n-dimensional whole-space and half-space is considered. Its solution has been obtained in terms of Green functions by Schneider and Wyss. For the problem in whole-space, an explicit representation of the Green functions can also be obtained. However, an explicit representation of the Green functions for the problem in half-space is difficult to determine, except in the special cases α = 1 with arbitrary n, or n = 1 with arbitrary α. In this paper, we solve these problems. By investigating the explicit relationship between the Green functions of the problem with initial conditions in whole-space and that of the same problem with initial and boundary conditions in half-space, an explicit expression for the Green functions corresponding to the latter can be derived in terms of Fox functions. We also extend some results of Liu, Anh, Turner and Zhuang concerning the advection-dispersion equation and obtain its solution in half-space and in a bounded space domain.

We study flows in physical networks with a potential function defined over the nodes and a flow defined over the arcs. The networks have the further property that the flow on an arc a is a given increasing function of the difference in potential between its initial and terminal node. An example is the equilibrium flow in water-supply pipe networks where the potential is the head and the Hazen-Williams rule gives the flow as a numerical factor ka times the head difference to a power s > 0 (and s ≅ 0.54). In the pipe-network problem with Hazen-Williams nonlinearities, having the same s > 0 on each arc, given the consumptions and supplies, the power usage is a decreasing function of the conductivity factors ka. There is also a converse to this. Approximately stated, it is: if every relationship between flow and head difference is not a power law, with the same s on each arc, given at least 6 pipes, one can arrange (lengths of) them so that Braess's paradox occurs, i.e. one can increase the conductivity of an individual pipe yet require more power to maintain the same consumptions.

For a three-dimensional gravity capillary wave packet in the presence of a thin thermocline in deep water two coupled nonlinear evolution equations correct to fourth order in wave steepness are obtained. Reducing these two equations to a single equation for oblique plane wave perturbation, the stability of a uniform gravity-capillary wave train is investigated. The stability and instability regions are identified. Expressions for the maximum growth rate of instability and the wavenumber at marginal stability are obtained. The results are shown graphically.

A method based on the method of images is described for the solution of the linear equation modelling diffusion and elimination of substrate in a fluid flowing through a chemical reactor of finite length, when the influx of substrate is prescribed at the point of entry and Danckwerts' zero-gradient condition is imposed at the point of exit. The problem is shown to be transformable to an equivalent problem in heat conduction. Associated with the images appearing in the method of solution is a sequence of functions which form a vector space carrying a representation of the Lie group SO(2, 1) generated by three third-order differential operators. The functions are eigenfunctions of one of these operators, with integer-spaced eigenvalues, and they satisfy a third-order recurrence relation which simplifies their successive determination, and hence the determination of the Green's function for the problem, to any desired degree of approximation. Consequently, the method has considerable computational advantages over commonly used methods based on the use of Laplace and related transforms. Associated with these functions is a sequence of polynomials satisfying the same third-order differential equation and recurrence relation. The polynomials are shown to bear a simple relationship to Laguerre polynomials and to satisfy the ordinary diffusion equation, for which SO(2, 1) is therefore revealed as an invariance group. These diffusion polynomials are distinct from the well-known heat polynomials, but a relationship between them is derived. A generalised set of diffusion polynomials, based on the associated Laguerre polynomials, is also described, having similar properties.

In this paper, we review some techniques for studying traffic processes in telecommunications networks. The first of these allows one to identify Poisson traffic via the notion of “deterministic past-conditional arrival rate”. Our approach leads to a method by which one can assess the degree of deviation of traffic processes from Poisson processes. We explain how this can be used to delimit circumstances under which traffic is approximately Poissonian.

This paper presents an interior source method for the calculation of semi-infinite cavities behind two-dimensional bluff bodies placed at an angle of attack in a uniform stream. Aspects under consideration include the pressure distribution along the body, especially just ahead of the separation point, lift and drag forces, and how these quantities vary with the angle of attack. We include discussion of the physical conditions of separation, and identify critical angles of attack for which the cavitating flow past an airfoil may (a) become unstable, or (b) yield the greatest lift to drag ratio.

The hodograph method for flow in porous media is used to study the problem of simultaneous gas and water cresting towards a horizontal well in a thin oil column reservoir. Shapes of the free interfaces are found and an expression for the optimal placement of the well with respect to the interfaces is given. In addition, a numerical technique is used to find the shape of the free interface and values of critical heights for the case of water cresting towards a horizontal well beneath an impermeable plane.