In the paper we study the conditions under which multiconnection networks are nonblocking. A multiconnection network deals with the connections of pairs {(T1, T2)} where T1 is a subset of the input terminals and T2 is a subset of the output terminals. We investigate networks composed of digital switching matrices. Such networks can be treated as a very general case encompassing many kinds of networks used in practice as well as studied theoretically.

We present four routing strategies and then develop conditions under which multiconnection networks are nonblocking when each of these strategies is used. We also show that the obtained conditions reduce to known results for some values of network parameters.

A stable linear time-invariant classical digital control system with several widely different small coefficients multiplying the lowest functions is considered. It is formulated as a multi-parameter singularly perturbed system. Perturbation methods are developed for both initial and boundary value problems based on asymptotic expansions of the perturbation parameters. The approximate solution consists of an outer solution and a number of boundary layer correction solutions equal to the number of initial conditions lost in the process of degeneration. An example is provided for illustration.

We study the large time behaviour of the free boundary for a one-phase Stefan problem with supercooling and a kinetic condition u = −ε|⋅ṡ| at the free boundary x = s(t). The problem is posed on the semi-infinite strip [0,∞) with unit Stefan number and bounded initial temperature ϕ(x) ≤ 0, such that ϕ → −1 − δ as x → ∞, where δ is constant. Special solutions and the asymptotic behaviour of the free boundary are considered for the cases ε ≥ 0 with δ negative, positive and zero, respectively. We show that, for ε > 0, the free boundary is asymptotic to , δt/ε if < δ > 0 respectively, and that when δ = 0 the large time behaviour of the free boundary depends more sensitively on the initial temperature. We also give a brief summary of the corresponding results for a radially symmetric spherical crystal with kinetic undercooling and Gibbs-Thomson conditions at the free boundary.

During the late 1940s, T. M. Cherry published a series of research papers on uniform asymptotic formulae for transition points in ordinary differential equations. This work, together with his research into transonic gas flows, for which it was a necessary precursor, is probably his best known and most widely quoted piece of research. An analysis is made of the impact of Cherry's work on subsequent developments in this field, both in comparison to the work of others and with respect to Cherry's work on other topics.

A simple elliptic model is developed for the spread of a fire front through grassland. This is used to predict theoretical fire fronts, which agree closely with those obtained in practice.

Facility location problems are one of the most common applications of optimization methods. Continuous formulations are usually more accurate, but often result in complex problems that cannot be solved using traditional optimization methods. This paper examines theuse of a global optimization method—AGOP—for solving location problems where the objective function is discontinuous. This approach is motivated by a real-world application in wireless networks design.

A chemical reactor problem is considered governed by partial differential equations. We wish to control the input temperature and the input oxygen concentration so that the actual output temperature can be as close to the desired output temperature as possible. By linearizing the differential equations around a nominal equation and then applying a finite-element Galerkin Scheme to the resulting system, the original problem can be converted into a sequence of linearly-constrained quadratic programming problems.

Mixing rules model how the physical properties of a polymer, such as its relaxation modulus G(t), depend on the distribution w(m) of its molecular weights m. They are of practical importance because, among other things, they allow estimates of the molecular weight distribution (MWD) w(m) of a polymer to be determined from measurements of its physical properties including the relaxation modulus. The two most common mixing rules are “single” and “double” reptation. Various derivations for these rules have been published. In this paper, a conditional probability formulation is given which identifies that the fundamental essence of “double” reptation is the discrete binary nature of the “entanglements”, which are assumed to occur in the corresponding topological model of the underlying polymer dynamics. In addition, various methods for determining the MWD are reviewed, and the computation of linear functionals of the MWD motivated and briefly examined.

Oxygen index methods have been widely used to measure the flammability of polymeric materials and to investigate the effectiveness of fire-retardants. Using a dynamical systems framework we show how a limiting oxygen index can be identified with an appropriate bifurcation.

The effectiveness of fire-retardants in changing the limiting oxygen index is calculated by unfolding the bifurcation point with a suitable non-dimensionalised variable, which depends upon the mode of action of the additive. In order to use this procedure it is essential the model is non-dimensionalised so as to retain the variables of interest as distinct continuation parameters.

A class of mixed control-state constrained optimal control problems for elliptic partial differential equations arising, for example, in Lavrentiev-type regularized state constrained optimal control is considered. Its numerical solution is obtained via a primal-dual activeset method, which is equivalent to a class of semi-smooth Newton methods. The locally superlinear convergence of the active-set method in function space is established, and its mesh independence is proved. The paper contains a report on numerical test runs including a comparison with a short-step path-following interior-point method and a coarse-to-fine mesh sweep, that is, a nested iteration technique, for accelerating the overall solution process. Finally, convergence and regularity properties of the regularized problems with respect to a vanishing Lavrentiev parameter are considered. 2000 Mathematics subject classification: primary 65K05; secondary 90C33.

The sums

are shown to approximate J0 (z); the error terms are series in higher order Bessel functions, leading with J2M (z). Similar sums approximate J1(z). These sums may be looked on as extensions of the Jacobi expansions for cos z and sin z in series of Bessel functions. They become numerically useful for M > |z|.

This paper is devoted to the study of the solvability of certain one-and multidimensional Abel-type integral equations involving the Gauss hypergeometric function as their kernels in the space of summable functions. The multidimensional equations are considered over certain pyramidal domains and the results obtained are used to present the multidimensional pyramidal analogues of generalized fractional calculus operators and their properties.

A generalised form of the Reynolds equation for two symmetrical surfaces is derived by considering slip at the bearing surfaces. This equation is then used to study the effects of velocity-slip for the lubrication of journal bearings using half-Sommerfeld boundary conditions. Expressions for pressure and load capacity and the coefficient of friction are obtained and numerically analysed for various parameters. It is found that the load capacity decreases with slip. This is unfavourable for lubrication. The coefficient of friction decreases with a high viscous layer and increases with slip.

Following work in an earlier paper, the theory of finite deformation of elastic membranes is applied to the problem of two initially-circular semi-infinite cylindrical membranes of the same radius but of different material, joined longitudinally at a cross-section. The body is inflated by constant interior pressure and is also extended longitudinally. The exact solution found for an arbitrary material is now specialised to the orthotropic case, and the results are interpreted for forms of the strain-energy function introduced by Vaishnav and by How and Clarke in connection with the study of arteries. Also considered in this context is the similar problem where two semi-infinite cylindrical membranes of the same material are separated by a cuff of different material. Numerical solutions are obtained for various pressures and longitudinal extensions. It is shown that discontinuities in the circumferential stress at the joint can be reduced by suitable choice of certain coefficients in the expression defining the strain-energy function. The results obtained here thus solve the problem of static internal pressure loading in extended dissimilar thin orthotropic tubes, and may also be useful in the preliminary study of surgical implants in arteries.

This paper gives an approximate solution to the Wiener-Hopf integral equation for filtering fractional Riesz-Bessel motion. This is obtained by showing that the corresponding covariance operator of the integral equation is a continuous isomorphism between appropriate fractional Sobolev spaces. The proof relies on properties of the Riesz and Bessel potentials and the theory of fractional Sobolev spaces.

Sufficient conditions are given for the occurrence of various types of asymptotic behaviour in the solution of a class of n th order neutral delay differential equations. The conditions are in the form of certain inequalities amongst the constants involved in the definition of the differential equations, and specify either oscillatory behavior, or asymptotic divergence, or solutions which converge to zero.

A small gas bubble in a liquid, when driven by intense ultrasound, collapses and emits light in a process called Single-Bubble Sonoluminescence (SBSL). While the dynamics of driven bubbles are well studied, less is known of the physical conditions in the gas or whether it is necessary to include ionisation in simpler studies of bubble dynamics. In this study, a model was derived from Rayleigh-Plesset dynamics, a van der Waals equation of state and the first law of thermodynamics (including interfacial heat transfer and ionisation). Stronger model ionisation reduced the maximum collapse temperature, and altered other collapse characteristics. Chaotic parameter regions are proximal to, but not coincident with, known stable SL regions. Resonant behaviour was only markedly affected by ionisation close to these chaotic regions.