The generalised Whitney sum (fibre-join) and the h-fibre-join can be defined in topM, the category of spaces over M. We note here some general properties of these constructions, and, as a specific example, we consider the relation between them and the extensions to the topM category of the top h-fibre-sequences F∗ΩB→E ∪ CF→B determined by top fibrations F→E→B. As an application we obtain the truncated local coefficient cohomology sequence for a top fibration which is topM principal fibration: this situation applies, for example, to the various stages of the Postnikov decomposition of a non-simply connected space X, and in this case we have M = K1(π1(X)).

We study the Steklov problem which consists in finding a complex function w(z) = U(z) + iV(z) holomorphic in the open unit disc G of the complex plane, continuous on its closure, such that V(0) = 0 and verifying on its boundary the condition

(d/ds)V(eis)+g(s, U(eis))=h(s),

where g and h are given functions. Using the Hilbert transform, the problem is reduced to the search for periodic solutions of an equivalent singular integro-differential equation which is treated by the direct method of the calculus of variations. When g(s,.) is non-decreasing, we obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for the solvability. The case of a non-monotone nonlinearity is also considered.

It is shown how to derive SL(n + 1)-invariant equations which reduce to scalar Lax equations for an operator of order n + 1. The existence of these systems explains the Miura transformation between modified Lax and scalar Lax equations. In particular we study an SL(2)-invariant system with a certain space of solutions lying over the solution space of a Korteweg-de Vries equation described by G. B. Segal and G. Wilson. This enables us to write down some solutions of this SL(2)-invariant system in terms of θ-functions of a hyperelliptic Riemann surface.

The Gegenbauer transformation Gλk is defined for λ > −1/2, k = 0, 1, 2, …, by

where, if being the Gegenbauer polynomial of index λ and degree k, and L0k is the Tchebichef polynomial of degree k. The transformation is studied on the spaces Lµ, p denned by the norm

and its boundedness and range on these spaces is determined and inversion formulae are found.

We consider the dynamics of scalar equations ut, = uxx + f(x, u) + c(x)α(u), 0 < x < l, where α denotes some weighted spatial average and Dinchlet boundary conditions are assumed. Prescribing f, c, α appropriately, it is shown that complicated dynamics can occur. Specifically, linearisations at equilibria can have any number of purely imaginary eigenvalues. Moreover, the higher order terms of the reduced vector field in an associated centre manifold can be prescribed arbitrarily, up to any finite order. These results are in marked contrast with the case α = 0, where bounded solutions are known to converge to equilibrium.