Consider the Cauchy problem for a one-dimensional compressible flow through porous media, Hsiao and Liu showed that the solution (υ, u) behaves as the diffusion wave (ῡ, ū), i.e. the solution of the porous-media equation due to the Darcy law. The optimal convergence rates have been obtained by Nishihara and co-workers. When υ0(x) has the same constant state at x = ±∞, the convergence rate ‖(υ − ῡ)(·,t)‖L∞ = O(t−1) obtained is ‘optimal’, since ‖ῡ(·,t)‖∞ = O(t−1/2). However, this ‘optimal’ convergence rate is less sufficient to determine the location of the diffusion wave. Our aim in this paper is to obtain the ‘truly optimal’ convergence rate by choosing suitably located diffusion waves.

Ratio-dependent predator–prey models are favoured by many animal ecologists recently as they better describe predator–prey interactions where predation involves a searching process. When densities of prey and predator are spatially homogeneous, the so-called Michaelis–Menten ratio-dependent predator–prey system, which is an ordinary differential system, has been studied by many authors. The present paper deals with the case where densities of prey and predator are spatially inhomogeneous in a bounded domain subject to the homogeneous Neumann boundary condition. Its main purpose is to study qualitative properties of solutions to this reaction-diffusion (partial differential) system. In particular, we will show that even though the unique positive constant steady state is globally asymptotically stable for the ordinary-differential-equation dynamics, non-constant positive steady states exist for the partial-differential-equation model. This demonstrates that stationary patterns arise as a result of diffusion.

Let be a complete and minimal set in a Hilbert space X, which is not an unconditional basis. Then there exists an operator that is densely defined on X, does not have a good spectral behaviour and all the vectors {ei} are its eigenvectors.

The hypersurface of extremal slope consists of extrema of the gradient magnitude along integral curves of the gradient vector field of a smooth function. We study the singularities, and other geometric features, of hypersurfaces of extremal slope associated with generic functions and with one-parameter families of functions representing generic solutions to the heat equation.

We obtain new geometric necessary conditions for a function f to define a lower semicontinuous functional of the form If(u) = ∫Ωf(u)dx, where u satisfies a given conservation law, Pu = 0, defined by a differential operator P of degree one with constant coefficients. Those conditions imply the so-called Λ-convexity condition known as the rank-one condition when we deal with a functional of the calculus of variations. In particular, we derive some new geometric properties of quasi-convex functions and state some new questions related to the rank-one conjecture of Morrey.

Special operator-ideal approximation properties (APs) of Banach spaces are employed to solve the problem of whether the distance functions S ↦ dist(S*, I(F*, E*)) and S ↦ dist(S, I*(E, F)) are uniformly comparable in each space L(E, F) of bounded linear operators. Here, I*(E, F) = {S ∈ L(E, F) : S* ∈ I(F*, E*)} stands for the adjoint ideal of the closed operator ideal I for Banach spaces E and F. Counterexamples are obtained for many classical surjective or injective Banach operator ideals I by solving two resulting ‘asymmetry’ problems for these operator-ideal APs.

By applying a general large-deviation theorem of Kifer and Ruelle's Smale space technique, some large-deviation estimates are proved for Axiom A endomorphisms.

By a new approach and different techniques, the present paper will give an essential generalization of a main theorem of Hasson. We also show that there do exist functions that satisfy the condition in our theorem, which we suggest to replace Hasson's condition (H1) or (H2) (for k = 1), but do not satisfy Hasson's condition. This gives a negative answer to a question raised by Hasson.

An estimate on the number of distinct relative periodic orbits around a stable relative equilibrium in a Hamiltonian system with continuous symmetry is given. This result constitutes a generalization to the Hamiltonian symmetric framework of a classical result by Weinstein and Moser on the existence of periodic orbits in the energy levels surrounding a stable equilibrium. The estimate obtained is very precise in the sense that it provides a lower bound for the number of relative periodic orbits at each prescribed energy and momentum values neighbouring the stable relative equilibrium in question and with any prefixed (spatio-temporal) isotropy subgroup. Moreover, it is easily computable in particular examples. It is interesting to see how, in our result, the existence of non-trivial relative periodic orbits requires (generic) conditions on the higher-order terms of the Taylor expansion of the Hamiltonian function, in contrast with the purely quadratic requirements of the Weinstein–Moser theorem, which emphasizes the highly nonlinear character of the relatively periodic dynamical objects.

We study a connection between the L2 average decay of the Fourier transform of functions with respect to a given measure and the Hausdorff behaviour of that measure.

For positive rational integers λ, we study the Hecke L-series attached to elliptic curves y2 = x3 − 2433Dλ over the quadratic field Q(√−3) and obtain various bounds of p(= 2, 3)-adic valuations of their values at s = 1 according to the cases of D and λ. In particular, for the case of even λ, we obtain a criterion of reaching the bounds of 3-adic valuations. From this, combining with the work of Coates and Wiles and Rubin, we obtain some results about the conjecture of Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer of these curves.

We classify the Morse indices for rank-convex quadratic forms defined on the space of linear elastic strains in two- and three-dimensional linear elasticity. For the higher-dimensional case n > 3, we give a universal lower bound of the largest possible Morse index and various upper bound of this index. We show in the three-dimensional case that the Morse index is at most 1, and in this case the nullity cannot exceed 2. Examples are given that show that the estimates can be reached. We apply the results to study the critical points for smooth rank-one convex functions defined on the space of linear strains. We also examine an example and construct a quasiconvex function that vanishes in a finite set in the direct sum of the null subspace and the negative subspace of the rank-one quadratic form.

Let B be the unit ball in Rn, n ≥ 3. Let 0 < p < 1 < q ≤ (n + 2)/(n − 2). In 1994, Ambrosetti et al. found that the semilinear elliptic Dirichlet problem admits at least two solutions for small λ > 0 and no solution for large λ. In this paper, we prove that there is a critical number Λ > 0 such that this problem has exactly two solutions for λ ∈ (0, Λ), exactly one solution for λ = Λ and no solution for λ > Λ.

This paper deals with scalar delay differential equations with dominant delayed terms. Sufficient conditions are obtained for uniform stability, uniformly asymptotic stability and globally asymptotic stability of the equations. The criteria extend and improve some existing ones. The main results are applied to two physiological models. Some counterexamples are also given to show the invalidity of some existing results.

By combining a technique inspired to the theory of sublinear elliptic equations with the Emden-Fowler inversion technique of Atkinson and Peletier, we obtain uniqueness of positive solutions of the following equation where B ⊂ Rn is the ball of radius one, λ > 0 and 1 < ϑ ≤ 2.

An initial–boundary-value problem for the nonlinear equations of real compressible viscous heat-conducting flow with general large initial data is investigated. The main point is to study the real flow for which the pressure and internal energy have nonlinear dependence on temperature, unlike the linear dependence for ideal flow, and the viscosity coefficients and heat conductivity are also functions of density and/or temperature. The shear viscosity is also presented. The existence, uniqueness and regularity of global solutions are established with large initial data in H1. It is shown that there is no shock wave, vacuum, mass concentration, or heat concentration (hot spots) developed in a finite time, although the solutions have large oscillations.

In this paper, we consider the Cauchy problem of general symmetrizable hyperbolic systems in multi-dimensional space. When some components of the initial data have compact support, we give a sufficient condition on the non-existence of global C1 solutions. This non-existence theorem can be applied to some physical systems, such as Euler equations for compressible flow in multi-dimensional space. The blow-up phenomena here can come from the singularity developed at the interface, such as vacuum boundary, rather than the shock formation as studied in the previous works on strictly hyperbolic systems. Therefore, the systems considered here include those which are non-strictly hyperbolic.