The Jiles-Atherton (J-A) model is a commonly used physics-based model in describing the hysteresis characteristics of ferromagnetic materials. However, citations and interpretation of this model in literature have been non-uniform. Solution methods for solving numerically this model has not been studied adequately. In this paper, through analyzing the mathematical properties of equations and the physical mechanism of energy conservation, we point out some unreasonable descriptions of this model and develop a relatively more accurate, modified J-A model together with its numerical solution method. Our method employs a fixed point method to compute anhysteretic magnetization. We obtain the susceptibility value of the anhysteretic magnetization analytically and apply the 4th order Runge-Kutta method to the solution of total magnetization. Computational errors are estimated and then precisions of the solving method in describing various materials are verified. At last, through analyzing the effects of the accelerating method, iterative error and step size on the computational errors, we optimize the numerical method to achieve the effects of high precision and short computing time. From analysis, we determine the range of best values of some key parameters for fast and accurate computation.

Using variational methods and depending on a parameter $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}$ we prove the existence of solutions for the following class of nonlocal boundary value problems of Kirchhoff type defined on an exterior domain $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FA}\subset \mathbb{R}^{3}$:

$$\begin{eqnarray}\left\{\begin{array}{@{}ll@{}}M(\Vert u\Vert ^{2})[-\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}u+u]=\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}a(x)g(u)+\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}|u|^{4}u\quad & \text{in }\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FA},\\ u=0\quad & \text{on }\unicode[STIX]{x2202}\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FA},\end{array}\right.\end{eqnarray}$$

$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}=0$

$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}=1$

We show the existence of connecting orbits for a class of singular second-order Hamiltonian systems

where, as opposed to most of the existing literature, we assume that the potential V has not one but any finite number of maxima of equal value. We use variational methods under the assumption that V (t, u) satisfies the so-called ‘strong-force’ condition at the singularity.

We study the periodic and Neumann boundary-value problems associated with the second-order nonlinear differential equation

where is a sublinear function at infinity having superlinear growth at zero. We prove the existence of two positive solutions when

and λ > 0 is sufficiently large. Our approach is based on Mawhin's coincidence degree theory and index computations.

This article studies propagating traveling waves in a class of reaction-diffusion systems which model isothermal autocatalytic chemical reactions as well as microbial growth and competition in a flow reactor. In the context of isothermal autocatalytic systems, two different cases will be studied. The first is autocatalytic chemical reaction of order m without decay. The second is chemical reaction of order m with a decay of order n, where m and n are positive integers and m>n≥1. A typical system in autocatalysis is A+2B→3B and B→C involving two chemical species, a reactant A and an auto-catalyst B and C an inert chemical species.

The numerical computation gives more accurate estimates on minimum speed of traveling waves for autocatalytic reaction without decay, providing useful insight in the study of stability of traveling waves.

For autocatalytic reaction of order m = 2 with linear decay n = 1, which has a particular important role in chemical waves, it is shown numerically that there exist multiple traveling waves with 1, 2 and 3 peaks with certain choices of parameters.

We give an alternative proof of the theorem of Alikakos and Fusco concerning existence of heteroclinic solutions U : ℝ → ℝN to the system

Here a± are local minima of a potential W ∈ C2(ℝN) with W(a±) = 0. This system arises in the theory of phase transitions. Our method is variational but differs from the original artificial constraint method of Alikakos and Fusco and establishes existence by analysing the loss of compactness in minimizing sequences of the action in the appropriate functional space. Our assumptions are slightly different from those considered previously and also imply a priori estimates for the solution.

The n-dimensional cyclic system of second-order nonlinear differential equations

is analysed in the framework of regular variation. Under the assumption that αi and βi are positive constants such that α1 … αn > β1 … βn and pi and qi are regularly varying functions, it is shown that the situation in which the system possesses decreasing regularly varying solutions of negative indices can be completely characterized, and moreover that the asymptotic behaviour of such solutions is governed by a unique formula describing their order of decay precisely. Examples are presented to demonstrate that the main results for the system can be applied effectively to some classes of partial differential equations with radial symmetry to provide new accurate information about the existence and the asymptotic behaviour of their radial positive strongly decreasing solutions.

We consider systems of quasi-periodic linear differential equations associated to a‘resonant’ frequency vector ${\it\omega}$, namely, a vector whose coordinates are not linearly independent over $\mathbb{Z}$. We give sufficient conditions that ensure that a small analytic perturbation of a constant system is analytically conjugate to a ‘resonant cocycle’. We also apply our results to the non-resonant case: we obtain sufficient conditions for reducibility.

Consider the equation

where ƒ ∈ Lp(ℝ), p ∈ (1, ∞) and

By a solution of (*), we mean any function y absolutely continuous together with (ry′) and satisfying (*) almost everywhere on ℝ. In addition, we assume that (*) is correctly solvable in the space Lp(ℝ), i.e.

(1) for any function , there exists a unique solution y ∈ Lp(ℝ) of (*);

(2) there exists an absolute constant c1(p) > 0 such that the solution y ∈ Lp(ℝ) of (*) satisfies the inequality

We study the following problem on the strengthening estimate (**). Let a non-negative function be given. We have to find minimal additional restrictions for θ under which the following inequality holds:

Here, y is a solution of (*) from the class Lp(ℝ), and c2 (p) is an absolute positive constant.

We consider a nonlinear periodic problem driven by the scalar p-Laplacian and with a reaction term which exhibits a (p – 1)-superlinear growth near ±∞ but need not satisfy the Ambrosetti-Rabinowitz condition. Combining critical point theory with Morse theory we prove an existence theorem. Then, using variational methods together with truncation techniques, we prove a multiplicity theorem establishing the existence of at least five non-trivial solutions, with precise sign information for all of them (two positive solutions, two negative solutions and a nodal (sign changing) solution).

Nonlocal calculus is often overlooked in the mathematics curriculum. In this paper we present an interesting new class of nonlocal problems that arise from modelling the growth and division of cells, especially cancer cells, as they progress through the cell cycle. The cellular biomass is assumed to be unstructured in size or position, and its evolution governed by a time-dependent system of ordinary differential equations with multiple time delays. The system is linear and taken to be autonomous. As a result, it is possible to reduce its solution to that of a nonlinear matrix eigenvalue problem. This method is illustrated by considering case studies, including a model of the cell cycle developed recently by Simms, Bean and Koeber. The paper concludes by explaining how asymptotic expressions for the distribution of cells across the compartments can be determined and used to assess the impact of different chemotherapeutic agents.

In the recent paper by Pakovich and Muzychuk [Solution of the polynomial moment problem, Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 99 (2009), 633–657] it was shown that any solution of ‘the polynomial moment problem’, which asks to describe polynomials $Q$ orthogonal to all powers of a given polynomial $P$ on a segment, may be obtained as a sum of so-called ‘reducible’ solutions related to different decompositions of $P$ into a composition of two polynomials of lower degrees. However, the methods of that paper do not permit us to estimate the number of necessary reducible solutions or to describe them explicitly. In this paper we provide a description of polynomial solutions of the functional equation $P_1\circ W_1=P_2\circ W_2=\cdots =P_r\circ W_r,$and on this base describe solutions of the polynomial moment problem in an explicit form suitable for applications.

This paper is concerned with the bifurcation of limit cycles from a quadratic reversible system under polynomial perturbations. It is proved that the cyclicity of the period annulus is two, and also a linear estimate of the number of zeros of the Abelian integral for the system under polynomial perturbations of arbitrary degree nis given.

A synthesis is presented of two recent studies on modelling the nonlinear neuro-mechanical hearing processes in mosquitoes and in mammals. In each case, a hierarchy of models is considered in attempts to understand data that shows nonlinear amplification and compression of incoming sound signals. The insect’s hearing is tuned to the vicinity of a single input frequency. Nonlinear response occurs via an arrangement of many dual capacity neuro-mechanical units called scolopidia within the Johnston’s organ. It is shown how the observed data can be captured by a simple nonlinear oscillator model that is derived from homogenization of a more complex model involving a radial array of scolopidia. The physiology of the mammalian cochlea is much more complex, with hearing occurring via a travelling wave along a tapered, compartmentalized tube. Waves travel a frequency-dependent distance along the tube, at which point they are amplified and “heard”. Local models are reviewed for the pickup mechanism, within the outer hair cells of the organ of Corti. The current debate in the literature is elucidated, on the relative importance of two possible nonlinear mechanisms: active hair bundles and somatic motility. It is argued that the best experimental agreement can be found when the nonlinear terms include longitudinal coupling, the physiological basis of which is described. A discussion section summarizes the lessons learnt from both studies and attempts to shed light on the more general question of what constitutes a good mathematical model of a complex physiological process.

Our focus in this work is to investigate an efficient state estimation scheme for a singularly perturbed stochastic hybrid system. As stochastic hybrid systems have been used recently in diverse areas, the importance of correct and efficient estimation of such systems cannot be overemphasized. The framework of nonlinear filtering provides a suitable ground for on-line estimation. With the help of intrinsic multiscale properties of a system, we obtain an efficient estimation scheme for a stochastic hybrid system.

We show that the flow generated by the totally competitive planar Lotka–Volterra equations deforms the line connecting the two axial equilibria into convex or concave curves, and that these curves remain convex or concave for all subsequent time. We apply the observation to provide an alternative proof to that given by Tineo in 2001 that the carrying simplex, the globally attracting invariant manifold that joins the axial equilibria, is either convex, concave or a straight-line segment.

In this work, we give some theorems on (mild) weighted pseudo-almost periodic solutions for some abstract semilinear differential equations with uniform continuity. To facilitate this we give a new composition theorem of weighted pseudo-almost periodic functions. Our composition theorem improves the known one by making use of a uniform continuity condition instead of the Lipschitz condition.

Criteria for guaranteeing the existence, uniqueness and asymptotic stability (in the sense of Liapunov) of periodic solutions of a forced Liénard-type equation under certain assumptions are presented. These criteria are obtained by application of the Manásevich–Mawhin continuation theorem, Floquet theory, Liapunov stability theory and some analysis techniques. An example is provided to demonstrate the applicability of our results.

In this paper we study the existence of positive periodic solutions to second-order singular differential equations with the sign-changing potential. Both the repulsive case and the attractive case are studied. The proof is based on Schauder’s fixed point theorem. Recent results in the literature are generalized and significantly improved.