We revisit the singular eigensolution to the steady state one-speed transport equation for an isotropically scattering and multiplying heterogeneous slab. It is proved that this solution is a sum of Stieltjes integrals over the resolvent set of only the operator of multiplication by the angular variable.

The qualitative behavior of positive solutions of the neutral-delay two-species Lotka-Volterra competitive system with several discrete delays is investigated. Sufficient conditions are obtained for the local asymptotic stability of the positive steady state. In fact, some of these sufficient conditions are also necessary except at those critical values. Results on the oscillatory and non-oscillatory characteristics of the positive solutions are also included.

After formulating the alternate potential principle for the nonlinear differential equation corresponding to the generalised Emden-Fowler equation, the invariance identities of Rund [14] involving the Lagrangian and the generators of the infinitesimal Lie group are used for writing down the first integrals of the said equation via the Noether theorem. Further, for physical realisable forms of the parameters involved and through repeated application of invariance under the transformation obtained, a number of exact solutions are arrived at both for the Emden-Fowler equation and classical Emden equations. A comparative study with Bluman-Cole and scale-invariant techniques reveals quite a number of remarkable features of the techniques used here.

In this paper we consider a natural extension of the minimum time problem in optimal control theory which we refer to as the minimum trapping time problem. The minimum trapping time problem requires a fixed time interval [0, T], where T is finite. The aim is to determine a control for which the system trajectory not only reaches a specified target in minimum time but also remains trapped within the target until time T. Our aim is to devise a computational procedure for solving the minimum trapping time problem. The computational procedure we adopt uses control parametrisation in which the class of controls is approximated by a class of piecewise constant functions. The problem we are solving is therefore an approximation to the original minimum trapping time problem. Some properties for the approximate problem are then established. These lead to an extremely efficient iterative procedure for calculating the minimum trapping time.

Two generalised shallow-shell bending elements are developed for the analysis of doubly-curved shallow shells having arbitrarily shaped plan-forms. Although both elements are formulated using the concept of iso-deflection contour lines, one element uses the three displacement components U, V and W as the basic unknowns, while the displacement component W and the stress function ф serve as the unknowns in the other element. A number of illustrative examples are included to demonstrate the accuracy and relative convergence of the proposed shallow-shell elements when employed for static analysis purposes.

The characteristic function of a lognormal random variable is calculated in closed form as a rapidly convergent series of Hermite functions in a logarithmic variable. The series coefficients are Nielsen numbers, defined recursively in terms of Riemann zeta functions. Divergence problems are avoided by deriving a functional differential equation, solving the equation by a de Bruijn integral transform, expanding the resulting reciprocal Gamma function kernel in a series, and then invoking a convergent termwise integration. Applications of the results and methods to the distribution of a sum of independent, not necessarily identical lognormal variables are discussed. The result is that a sum of lognormals is distributed as a sum of products of lognormal distributions. The case of two lognormal variables is outlined in some detail.

The flow caused by a point sink immersed in an otherwise stationary fluid is investigated. Low Froude number solutions are sought, in which the flow is radially symmetric and possesses a stagnation point at the surface, directly above the sink. A small-Froude-number expansion is derived and compared with the results of a numerical solution to the fully nonlinear problem. It is found that solutions of this type exist for all Froude numbers less than some maximum value, at which a secondary circular stagnation line is formed at the surface. The nonlinear solutions are reasonably well predicted by the small-Froude-number expansion, except for Froude numbers close to this maximum.

A simple eigenvalue and a corresponding wavefunction of a Schrödinger operator is initially approximated by the Galerkin method and by the iterated Galerkin method of Sloan. The initial approximation is iteratively refined by employing three schemes: the Rayleigh-Schrödinger scheme, the fixed point scheme and a modification of the fixed point scheme. Under suitable conditions, convergence of these schemes is established by considering error bounds. Numerical results indicate that the modified fixed point scheme along with Sloan's method performs better than the others.

In this paper, we review some techniques for studying traffic processes in telecommunications networks. The first of these allows one to identify Poisson traffic via the notion of “deterministic past-conditional arrival rate”. Our approach leads to a method by which one can assess the degree of deviation of traffic processes from Poisson processes. We explain how this can be used to delimit circumstances under which traffic is approximately Poissonian.