The new motion of embedding a centre manifold in some higher-dimensional manifold leads to a practical approach to the rational low-dimensional approximation of a wide class of dynamical systems; it also provides a simple geometric picture for these approximations. In particular, I consider the problem of finding an approximate, but accurate, description of the evolution of a two-dimensional planform of convection. Inspired by a simple example, the straightforward adiabatic iteration is proposed to estimate an embedding manifold and arguments are presented for its effectiveness. Upon applying the procedure to a model convective planform problem I find that the resulting approximations perform remarkably well–much better than the traditional Swift-Hohenberg approximation for planform evolution.

A population of cells growing and dividing often goes through a phase of exponential growth of numbers, during which the size distribution remains steady. In this paper we study the function differential equation governing this steady size distribution in the particular case where the individual cells themselves are growing exponentially in size. A series solution is obtained for the case where the probability of cell division is proportional to any positive power of the cell size, and a method for finding closed-form solutions for a more general class of cell division functions is developed.

Let Δ denote a triangulation of a planar polygon Ω. For any positive integer 0 ≤ r < k, let denote the vector space of functions in Cr whose restrictions to each triangle of Δ are polynomials of total degree at most k. Such spaces, called bivariate spline spaces, have many applications in surface fitting, scattered data interpolation, function approximation and numerical solutions of partial differential equations. An important problem is to give the function expression. In this paper, we prove that, if (Δ, Ω) is type-X, then any bivariate spline function in can be expressed by a series of univariate polynomials and a special bivariate finite element function in satisfying a so-called integral conformality condition system. We also give a direct sum decomposition of the space . In addition, the dimension of for a kind of triangulation has been determined.

The problem of an infinitely long rigid punch of uniform cross-section moving across a viscoelastic half-space at constant velocity, large enough so that inertial effects cannot be neglected, is examined and solved in various approximations. Frictional shear is assumed to exist between the punch and the half-space. The method, which is an extension of that developed in previous papers [6, 7], is applicable for any form of viscoelastic behaviour in the half-space. For the special case of discrete spectrum behaviour the method is described in detail. For the case where the punch is cylindrical and viscoelastic effects are small compared with elastic effects, explicit expressions are given for all quantities of interest, in particular the coefficient of hysteretic friction. A general Hilbert transform formula is derived in the appendix.

A two component classical Coulomb system is considered, in which particles of charge +q and + 2q are constrained to lie on a circle and interact via the two-dimensional Coulomb potential. At a special value of the coupling constant the correlation functions are calculated exactly and the asymptotic form of the truncated charge-charge correlation is found to obey Jancovici's sum rule.

We consider the stability of solutions for a family of Dirichlet problems with (p, q)-growth conditions. We apply the results obtained to show continuous dependence on a functional parameter and the existence of an optimal solution in a control problem with state constraints governed by the p(x)-Laplacian equation.

Certain definite integrals involving spherical Bessel functions are treated by relating them to Fourier integrals of the point multipoles of potential theory. The main result (apparently new) concerns

where l1, l2 and N are non-negative integers, and r1 and r2 are real; it is interpreted as a generalized function derived by differential operations from the delta function δ(r1 − r2). An ancillary theorem is presented which expresses the gradient ∇2nYlm(∇) of a spherical harmonic function g(r)YLM(Ω) in a form that separates angular and radial variables. A simple means of translating such a function is also derived.

Two coupled nonlinear evolution equations correct to fourth order in wave steepness are derived for a three-dimensional wave packet in the presence of a thin thermocline. These two coupled equations are reduced to a single equation on the assumption that the space variation of the amplitudes takes place along a line making an arbitrary fixed angle with the direction of propagation of the wave. This single equation is used to study the stability of a uniform wave train. Expressions for maximum growth rate of instability and wave number at marginal stability are obtained. Some of the results are shown graphically. It is found that a thin thermocline has a stabilizing influence and the maximum growth rate of instability decreases with the increase of thermocline depth.

A general framework is developed for constructing higher order spectral refinement schemes for a simple eigenvalue. Well-known techniques for ordinary spectral refinement are carried over to higher order spectral refinement yielding faster rates of convergence. Numerical examples are given by considering an integral operator.

The aggregation-decomposition method is used to derive sufficient conditions for the uniform stability, uniform asymptotic stability and exponential stability of the null solution of large-scale systems described by functional differential equations with lags appearing only in the interconnections. The free subsystems are described by ordinary differential equations for which converse theorems involving Lyapunov functions exist and thus enable the sufficient conditions to be expressed in terms of Lyapunov functions rather than the more complicated Lyapunov functionals.

In this paper, we exploit a new series summation and convergence improvement technique (that is, Drazin and Tourigny [5]), in order to study the steady flow of a viscous incompressible fluid both in a porous pipe with moving walls and an exponentially diverging asymmetrical channel. The solutions are expanded into Taylor series with respect to the corresponding Reynolds number. Using the D-T method, the bifurcation and the internal flow separation studies are performed.

Uncertainty principles like Heisenberg's assert an inequality obeyed by some measure of joint uncertainty associated with a function and its Fourier transform. The more groups under which that measure is invariant, the more that measure represents an intrinsic property of the underlying object represented by the given function. The Fourier transform is imbedded in a continuous group of operators, the fractional Fourier transforms, but the Heisenberg measure of overall spread turns out not to be invariant under that group. A new family is developed of measures that are invariant under the group of fractional Fourier transforms and that obey associated uncertainty principles. The first member corresponds to Heisenberg's measure but is generally smaller than his although equal to it in special cases.

In this paper we investigate the boundedness and asymptotic behaviour of the solutions of a class of homogeneous second-order difference equations with a single non-constant coefficient. These equations model, for example, the amplitude of oscillation of the weights on a discretely weighted vibrating string. We present several growth theorems. Two examples are also given.

We consider the nonlinear evolution of a disturbance to a mixing layer, with the base profile given by u0(y) = tanh3y rather than the more usual tanh y, so that the first two derivatives of u0 vanish at y = 0. This flow admits three neutral modes, each of which is singular at the critical layer. Using a non-equilibrium nonlinear critical layer analysis, equations governing the evolution of the disturbance are derived and discussed. We find that the disturbance cannot exist on a linear basis, but that nonlinear effects inside the critical layer do permit the disturbance to exist. We also present results of a direct numerical simulation of this flow and briefly discuss the connection between the theory and the simulation.