The purpose of this work is to begin the development of a theory of generating functions that will not only include the generating functions which are partly bilateral and partly unilateral but also provide a set of expansions, by taking successive partial derivatives with respect to one of the variables of the generating relations. Our starting point is a result of Exton [4] on associated Laguerre polynomials whose application gives certain generating functions of the polynomials of Jacobi and Appell, and functions of n variables of Lauricella.

A new implementation of the BFGS algorithm for unconstrained optimisation is reported which utilises a conjugate factorisation of the approximating Hessian matrix. The implementation is especially useful when gradient information is estimated by finite difference formulae and it is well suited to machines which are able to exploit parallel processing.

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.

If a finite segment of a spectrum is known, the determination of the finite object function in image space (or the full spectrum in frequency space) is a fundamental problem in image analysis. Gerchberg's method, which solves this problem, can be formulated as a fixed point iteration. This and other related algorithms are shown to be equivalent to a steepest descent method applied to the minimization of an appropriate functional for the Fourier Inversion Problem. Optimal steepest descent and conjugate gradient methods are derived. Numerical results from the application of these techniques are presented. The regularization of the problem and control of noise growth in the iteration are also discussed.

The scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) is a semi-analytical computational method initially developed in the 1990s. It has been widely applied in the fields of solid mechanics, oceanic, geotechnical, hydraulic, electromagnetic and acoustic engineering problems. Most of the published work on SBFEM has focused on its theoretical development and practical applications, but, so far, no explicit discussion on the numerical stability and accuracy of its solution has been systematically documented. However, for a reliable engineering application, the inherent numerical problems associated with SBFEM solution procedures require thorough analysis in terms of its causes and the corresponding remedies. This study investigates the numerical performance of SBFEM with respect to matrix manipulation techniques and their properties. Some illustrative examples are given to identify reasons for possible numerical difficulties, and corresponding solution schemes are proposed to overcome these problems.

A nation-wide vaccination campaign began in New Zealand in 2004 with the aim of stopping the epidemic of meningococcal B disease. Approximately 80% of those under 20 years of age when the campaign was launched were vaccinated with three doses of a tailor-made vaccine. We propose a framework for a mathematical model based on the susceptible–carrier–infectious–removed (SCIR) structure. We show how the model could be used to calculate the predicted yearly incidence of infection in the absence of vaccination, and compare this to the effect that vaccination had on the course of the epidemic. Our model shows that vaccination led to a considerable decrease in the incidence of infection compared to what would have been seen otherwise. We then use our model to explore the potential effect of alternative vaccination schemes, and show that the one that was implemented was the best of all the possibilities we consider.

In this paper we describe an elementary method for calculating the matrix exponential on an arbitrary time scale. An example is also given to illustrate the result.

This work is devoted to numerical studies of nearly optimal controls of systems driven by singularly perturbed Markov chains. Our approach is based on the ideas of hierarchical controls applicable to many large-scale systems. A discrete-time linear quadratic control problem is examined. Its corresponding limit system is derived. The associated asymptotic properties and near optimality are demonstrated by numerical examples. Numerical experiments for a continuous-time hybrid linear quadratic regulator with Gaussian disturbances and a discrete-time Markov decision process are also presented. The numerical results have not only supported our theoretical findings but also provided insights for further applications.

A dam is considered with independently and identically distributed inputs occurring in a renewal process, and in particular a Poisson process, with a general release rate r(·) depending on the content. This is related to a GI/G/1 queue with service times dependent on the waiting time. Some results are obtained for the limiting content distribution when it exists; these are more complete for some special release rates, such as r(x) = μxα and r(x) = a + μx, and particular input size distributions.

In 1991, McNabb introduced the concept of mean action time (MAT) as a finite measure of the time required for a diffusive process to effectively reach steady state. Although this concept was initially adopted by others within the Australian and New Zealand applied mathematics community, it appears to have had little use outside this region until very recently, when in 2010 Berezhkovskii and co-workers [A. M. Berezhkovskii, C. Sample and S. Y. Shvartsman, “How long does it take to establish a morphogen gradient?” Biophys. J. 99 (2010) L59–L61] rediscovered the concept of MAT in their study of morphogen gradient formation. All previous work in this area has been limited to studying single-species differential equations, such as the linear advection–diffusion–reaction equation. Here we generalize the concept of MAT by showing how the theory can be applied to coupled linear processes. We begin by studying coupled ordinary differential equations and extend our approach to coupled partial differential equations. Our new results have broad applications, for example the analysis of models describing coupled chemical decay and cell differentiation processes.

An important test of the quality of numerical methods developed to track the interface between two fluids is their ability to reproduce test cases or benchmarks. However, benchmark solutions are scarce and virtually nonexistent for complex geometries. We propose a simple method to generate benchmark solutions in the context of the two-layer flow problem, a classical multiphase flow problem. The solutions are obtained by considering the inverse problem of finding the required channel geometry to obtain a prescribed interface profile. This viewpoint shift transforms the problem from that of having to solve a complex differential equation to the much easier one of finding the roots of a quartic polynomial.

A steady two-dimensional jet of an inviscid incompressible fluid rising and falling under gravity is considered. The jet is aimed vertically upwards and the flow is assumed to be bounded entirely by two free surfaces. The problem is solved numerically by finite differences. Accurate results for the free surface profiles are presented.

Computing the generalised gradient directly using its standard definition can involve forming the convex hull of a very large number of vectors. Here an alternative concise parametrization is developed for the generalised gradient of the signed rank regression family of objective functions, a class of piecewise linear functions which includes both convex and nonconvex members. The approach uses the geometry of the epigraph explicitly and this suggests extensions to more general functions. A nondegeneracy condition is assumed which is natural in optimization problems.

Some recent results on the optimal choice of quadrature rules for the finite element solution of eigenvalue problems are discussed in the light of some results of the author and J. Paine.

The present work deals with the problem of recovering a local image from localised projections using the concept of approximation identity. It is based on the observation that the Hilbert transform of an approximation identity taken from a certain class of compactly supported functions with sufficiently many zero moments has no significant spread of support. The associated algorithm uses data pertaining to the local region along with a small amount of data from its vicinity. The main features of the algorithm are simplicity and similarity with standard filtered back projection (FBP) along with the economic use of data.

We describe a C0-collocation-like method for solving two-dimensional elliptic Dirichlet problems on rectangular regions, using tensor products of continuous piecewise polynomials. Nodes of the Lobatto quadrature formula are taken as the points of collocation. We show that the method is stable and convergent with order hr(r ≥ 1) in the H1–norm and hr+1(r ≥ 2) in the L2–norm, if the collocation solution js a piecewise polynomial of degree not greater than r with respect to each variable. The method has an advantage over the Galerkin procedure for the same space in that no integrals need be evaluated or approximated.

We discuss some propositions of Holmes and Manning relating to the evolution of price in a cobweb market approaching equilibrium. We find in particular that the detailed behaviour of the linear model is quite typical of nonlinear cobweb models.

The authors derive a general theorem on partly bilateral and partly unilateral generating functions involving multiple series with essentially arbitrary coefficients. By appropriately specialising these coefficients, a number of (known or new) results are shown to follow as applications of the theorem.

Para-Bose coherent states, defined as “displaced” ground states, are obtained using the differential operator representation for the annihilation operator.

In two-dimensional flow past a body close to a free surface, the upwardly diverted portion may separate to form a splash. We model the nose of such a body by a semi-infinite obstacle of finite draft with a smoothly curved front face. This problem leads to a nonlinear integral equation with a side condition, a separation condition and an integral constraint requiring the far-upstream free surface to be asymptotically plane. The integral equation, called Villat's equation, connects a natural parametrisation of the curved front face with the parametrisation by the velocity potential near the body. The side condition fixes the position of the separation point, whereas the separation condition, known as the Brillouin-Villat condition, imposes a continuity relation to be satisfied at separation. For the described flow we derive the Brillouin-Villat condition in integral form and give a numerical solution to the problem using a polygonal approximation to the front face.