Integral equations on the half line are commonly approximated by the finite-section approximation, in which the infinite upper limit is replaced by a positive number β. A novel technique is used here to rederive a number of classical results on the existence and uniqueness of the solution of the Wiener-Hopf and related equations, and is then extended to obtain existence, uniqueness and convergence results for the corresponding finite-section equations. Unlike the methods used in the recent work of Anselone and Sloan, the present methods are constructive, and result in explicit asymptotic bounds for the error introduced by the finite-section approximation.

We show the strongly stable convergence of some non-collectively-compact approximations of compact operators. Special attention is devoted to Anselone's singularity subtraction discretization of certain singular integral operators. Numerical experiments are provided.

The problem of passing from an L∞ function to a Wiener-Hopf factorization is considered. It is shown that a small L∞ perturbation which does not change the factorization indices will lead to small Lp (1 < p < ∞) perturbations in the Wiener-Hopf factors, but can lead to large L∞ perturbations, unless the derivatives are controlled during the perturbation.

Sparse matrix factorizations of transfer matrices for the interactions round a face model are reviewed. The sparse factors of a more general Ising model containing first, second and third nearest neighbour interactions are also presented. For both models the factorizations are achieved by considering the required auxiliary spin sets as a hierarchy of interacting spins.

The explicit solitary Rossby wave solutions found by Larichev, Reznik and Berestov are shown to be unique for the model equations considered, in the sense that there are no other antisymmetric wave solutions which are not of these forms. This is done by adapting arguments used by Amick and Fraenkel to show the uniqueness of the Hill's vortex solution. It is based on the maximum principle and the domain folding method of Gidas, Ni and Nirenberg, and involves showing that the function ψ/y is radially symmetric, where ψ is the streamfunction of a solitary wave and y the horizontal cartesian coordinate perpendicular to the x-axis, along which the waves move at steady positive speed. This argument is also used to show the uniqueness of the well-known explicit solutions for cylindrical vortices. The result does not apply directly to rider solutions of Flierl et al., which are not antisymmetric, but it does restrict the possible rider solutions that can form because of their association with particular antisymmetric solutions.

The steady state bifurcations near a double zero eigenvalue of the reaction diffusion equation associated with a tri-molecular chemical reaction (the Brusselator) are analysed. Special emphasis is put on three degeneracies where previous results of Schaeffer and Golubitsky do not apply. For these degeneracies it is shown by means of a LiapunovSchmidt reduction that the steady state bifurcations are determined by codimension-three normal forms. They are of types (9)31, (8)221 and (6a)ρ,κ in a recent classification of Z(2)-equivariant imperfect bifurcations with corank two. Each normal form couples an ordinary corank-1 bifurcation in the sense of Golubitsky and Schaeffer to a degenerate Z(2)-equivariant corank-1 bifurcation of Golubitsky and Langford in a specific way.