The paper deals with analytic families of planar vector fields, studying methods to detect the cyclicity of a non-isolated closed orbit, i.e. the maximum number of limit cycles that can locally bifurcate from it. It is known that this multi-parameter problem can be reduced to a single-parameter one, in the sense that there exist analytic curves in parameter space along which the maximal cyclicity can be attained. In that case one speaks about a maximal cyclicity curve (mcc) in case only the number is considered and of a maximal multiplicity curve (mmc) in case the multiplicity is also taken into account. In view of obtaining efficient algorithms for detecting the cyclicity, we investigate whether such mcc or mmc can be algebraic or even linear depending on certain general properties of the families or of their associated Bautin ideal. In any case by well chosen examples we show that prudence is appropriate.

The assumption that disturbances are confined to the neighbourhood of the wall in the problem of Part I is invalidated by an exact solution of the resulting equation which shows that disturbances rapidly travel out of the region in which the equation is applicable. The asymptotic methods of Part I are also applied to this equation, which was studied by Lam and Rott (1), and an assessment is made of the role of the eigensolutions found by these authors.

Our problem and the motive for attacking it are the same as in (1). Using a different method, we obtain a result admitting disconnected domains and higher dimensions without symmetry assumptions. For a detailed introduction we refer to (1).

This sequence of papers is concerned with a group of theorems on Fourier transforms, and with the corresponding results for Fourier series. The transform theorems deal with the equations

when two of the functions concerned are monotonic; and the series theorems, with the equations

when two of the functions or sequences of coefficients are monotonic. A general survey of the problem was given in two earlier papers, which we shall call M.F. (I) and M.F. (II), and the results obtained were tabulated in M.F. (II). There is thus no need to restate the position in detail here. We shall merely recall as briefly as possible what has been proved already, so as to show the scope of the present paper.

The spectrum of the hydrogen energy operator

(Δ is the Laplacian and r is the distance from the origin) consists of the non-negative real axis and a sequence of negative eigenvalues of finite multiplicities converging to O. In the present study we are interested in finding sufficient conditions on a potential q(x) such that the spectrum of the operator

in En has a ‘hydrogen-like’ spectrum, i.e. a spectrum consisting of

(a) the non-negative real axis,

(b) at most a denumerable set of negative eigenvalues of finite multiplicities having zero as its only possible limit point.

Complex variable methods are applied to derive exact solutions in closed forms for the small deflexions of uniformly loaded thin isotropic plates bounded by regular curvilinear polygonal contours having n sides. The supported boundary is either clamped or has equal boundary cross-couples. For rectilinear edges the latter conditions agree with those for a simply supported boundary. The plates taken in the z-plane are conformally mapped on the unit circle in the ζ-plane by the general mapping function

Consider a system of diagonal equations \begin{equation}\sum_{j=1}^sa_{ij}x_j^k=0\quad (1\le i\le r),\end{equation} satisfying the property that the (fixed) integral coefficient matrix $(a_{ij})$ contains no singular $r\times r$ submatrix. A recent paper of the authors [3] establishes that whenever $k\ge 3$ and $s>(3r+1)2^{k-2}$, then the expected asymptotic formula holds for the number $N(P)$ of integral solutions ${\bf x}$ of ($1{\cdot}1$) with $|x_i|\le P$$(1\le i\le s)$.

It is proved that $fg$ is Henstock–Kurzweil integrable on a compact interval ${\mathop{\prod}_{i=1}^{m}}[a_i, b_i]$ in ${\mathbb R}^m$ for each Henstock–Kurzweil integrable function $f$ if and only if there exists a finite signed Borel measure $\nu$ on ${\mathop{\prod}_{i=1}^{m}}[a_i, b_i)$ such that $g$ is equivalent to $\nu({\mathop{\prod}_{i=1}^{m}}[a_i, \,{\cdot}\,))$ on ${\mathop{\prod}_{i=1}^{m}}[a_i, b_i]$.

We show that the semi-direct product of a one-ended torsion-free word-hyperbolic group with $\integers$, given through an automorphism $\alpha{:}\, G \,{\to}\, G$, is a hyperbolic group relative to certain canonical subgroups of $G$ on which $\alpha$ acts periodically or with linear growth.

The Stone-Weierstrass theorem gives very simple necessary and sufficient conditions for a subset A of the algebra of all real-valued continuous functions on the compact Hausdorff space X to generate a subalgebra dense in namely, this is so if and only if the functions of A strongly separate the points of X, in other words given any two distinct points of X there exists a function in A taking different values at these points, and given any point of X there exists a function in A non-zero there. In the case of the algebra of all complex-valued continuous functions on X, the same result holds provided that we consider the subalgebra generated by A together with Ā, the set of complex conjugates of the functions in A.

We prove that a non-solvable Demushkin group satisfies the Greenberg–Stallings property, i.e., if H and K are finitely generated subgroups of a non-solvable Demushkin group G with the property that H ∩ K has finite index in both H and K, then H ∩ K has finite index in 〈H, K〉. Moreover, we prove that every finitely generated subgroup H of G has a ‘root’, that is a subgroup K of G that contains H with |K : H| finite and which contains every subgroup U of G that contains H with |U : H| finite. This allows us to show that every non-trivial finitely generated subgroup of a non-solvable Demushkin group has finite index in its commensurator.

Clifford indices for semistable vector bundles on a smooth projective curve of genus at least 4 were defined in previous papers by the authors. In this paper, we establish lower bounds for the Clifford indices for rank 3 bundles. As a consequence we show that, on smooth plane curves of degree at least 10, there exist non-generated bundles of rank 3 computing one of the Clifford indices.

Consider the differential systems

where A(t), g(t, y) and g(t, y) are operators acting in the real Banach space E, A(t) is an unbounded, closed, linear operator for each t in 0 ≤ t < ∞ and x0, y0 belong to the domain of definition of the operator A (t0). Let ‖x‖ denote the norm of an element x ε: E and R(λ, t) the resolvent of A(t). Here and in the following the prime denotes the right-hand derivative.

Larmor has shown that if the upper atmosphere contains electrons (charge ε, mass m, density ν) and if collisions between these electrons and molecules—and also the forces between the electrons themselves—are negligible, then electric waves are propagated as if the dielectric constant of the medium were reduced by , from which it appears that, so long as the approximations are valid, the velocity of propagation of the waves can be increased indefinitely by increasing either the electron density or the wave-length λ. Several later authors have attempted to take account of the collisions between electrons and molecules, assuming free paths or velocities according to Maxwell's laws for a uniform gas, and it appears that the above law holds only for short waves; but it is doubtful how far the properties of a uniform gas can be assumed when periodic forces are acting. In the first part of this paper an alternative method of solution is given by means of Boltzmann's integral equation for a non-uniform gas, the analysis being similar to that used by Lorentz in discussing the motion of free electrons in a metal. Only the case when ν is small is considered, i.e. the interactions of electrons with one another and with positive ions are neglected. How far it is possible to increase the velocity of propagation by increasing ν is a more difficult question, but it seems possible that the forces between the electrons and ions may impose a limit just as collisions with neutral molecules limit the effect of increasing the wave-length.

On the asymptotic probability distribution for certain Markoff processes 46 (1950), 581.

By Walter Ledermann

Mr H. Schneider has drawn my attention to a mistake which occurs on p. 591 of the above paper.

Let 1 ≤ p < ∞ and let ω be a non-negative function defined on the unit circle T which satisfies the Ap condition of Muckenhoupt. The weighted Hardy space Hp(ω) consists of those functions f in the classical Hardy space H1 whose boundary values belong to Lp(ω). Recently McPhail (Studia Math. 96, 1990) has characterized those positive Borel measures μ on the unit disc Δ for which Hp(ω) is continuously contained in Lp(dμ). In this paper we study the question of finding necessary and sufficient conditions on a positive Borel measure μ on Δ for the differentiation operator D defined by Df = f′ to map Hp(ω) continuously into Lp(dμ). We prove that a necessary condition is that there exists a positive constant C such that

where for any interval I ⊂ T,

We prove that this condition is also sufficient in some cases, namely for 2 ≤ p < ∞ and ω(et0) = |θ|α, (|θ| ≤ π), – 1 < α < p – 1, but not in general. In the general case we prove the sufficiency of a condition which is slightly stronger than (A).

In this paper we consider the probability distribution function of a Gibbs measure supported on a self-conformal set given by an iterated function system (devil's staircase) applied to a compact subset of ${\mathbb R}$. We use thermodynamic multifractal formalism to calculate the Hausdorff dimension of the sets Sα0, Sα∞ and Sα, the set of points at which this function has, respectively, Hölder derivative 0, ∞ or no derivative in the general sense. This extends recent work by Darst, Dekking, Falconer, Kesseböhmer and Stratmann, and Yao, Zhang and Li by considering arbitrary such Gibbs measures given by a potential function independent of the geometric potential.

In many cases of practical interest there is some kind of symmetry associated with an ordinary second-order differential equation of the Schrödinger type. This symmetry is reflected in certain relations between different F-matrices or different elements of the same F-matrix of the phase-integral method. These symmetry relations imply in turn further relations between the Stokes constants, in addition to those which exist for a general cluster of transition points, and thereby reduce the number of independent Stokes constants. The present paper deals with two important kinds of symmetry relations.

We may define a mobility problem to be one of the type: ‘Given a (fully or partlys pecified) collection of bodies in ℝn, assumed not to interpenetrate, can they be moved in some (fully or partly specified) fashion?’ Early examples of mobility problems nclude ‘Chinese puzzles’ and Sam Loyd's ‘15 puzzle’ (to which could be added the more recent Rubik's Cube!) Less combinatorial examples include the ‘piano mover’ problem (see, e.g. [2, 3, 9]) and the several recent papers on collision avoidance, such as [1, 5, 6, 7, 8].

In this paper we show how ideas, methods and results from optimal transportation can be used to study various aspects of the stationary measures of Iterated Function Systems equipped with a probability distribution. We recover a classical existence and uniqueness result under a contraction-on-average assumption, prove generalised moment bounds from which tail estimates can be deduced, consider the convergence of the empirical measure of an associated Markov chain, and prove in many cases the Lipschitz continuity of the stationary measure when the system is perturbed, with as a consequence a “linear response formula” at almost every parameter of the perturbation.