Formulation of the problem of sonic boom by a maneuvering aerofoil as a one-parameter family of Cauchy problems

For the structure of a sonic boom produced by a simple aerofoil at a large distance from its source we take a physical model which consists of a leading shock (LS), a trailing shock (TS) and a one-parameter family of nonlinear wavefronts in between the two shocks. Then we develop a mathematical model and show that according to this model the LS is governed by a hyperbolic system of equations in conservation form and the system of equations governing the TS has a pair of complex eigenvalues. Similarly, we show that a nonlinear wavefront originating from a point on the front part of the aerofoil is governed by a hyperbolic system of conservation laws and that originating from a point on the rear part is governed by a system of conservation laws, which is elliptic. Consequently, we expect the geometry of the TS to be kink-free and topologically different from the geometry of the LS. In the last section we point out an evidence of kinks on the LS and kink-free TS from the numerical solution of the Euler’s equations by Inoue, Sakai and Nishida [5].     

Fredholm’s boundary-value problems for differential systems with a single delay

Conditions are derived for the existence of solutions of linear Fredholm’s boundary-value problems for systems of ordinary differential equations with constant coefficients and a single delay. Utilizing a delayed matrix exponential and a method of pseudo-inverse by Moore-Penrose matrices led to an explicit and analytical form of a criterion for the existence of solutions in a relevant space and, moreover, to the construction of a family of linearly independent solutions of such problems in a general case with the number of boundary conditions (defined by a linear vector functional) not coinciding with the number of unknowns of a differential system with a single delay.     

Mean-variance optimization problems for an accumulation phase in a defined benefit plan

In this paper we deal with contribution rate and asset allocation strategies in a pre-retirement accumulation phase. We consider a single cohort of workers and investigate a retirement plan of a defined benefit type in which an accumulated fund is converted into a life annuity. Due to the random evolution of a mortality intensity, the future price of an annuity, and as a result, the liability of the fund, is uncertain. A manager has control over a contribution rate and an investment strategy and is concerned with covering the random claim. We consider two mean-variance optimization problems, which are quadratic control problems with an additional constraint on the expected value of the terminal surplus of the fund. This functional objectives can be related to the well-established financial theory of claim hedging. The financial market consists of a risk-free asset with a constant force of interest and a risky asset whose price is driven by a Lévy noise, whereas the evolution of a mortality intensity is described by a stochastic differential equation driven by a Brownian motion. Techniques from the stochastic control theory are applied in order to find optimal strategies.     

Dynamic contact problem for viscoelastic piezoelectric materials with normal damped response and friction

In this paper, we deal with a class of inequality problems for dynamic frictional contact between a piezoelectric body and a foundation. The model consists of a system of the hemivariational inequality of hyperbolic type for the displacement, the time dependent elliptic equation for the electric potential. The contact is modeled by a general normal damped response condition and a friction law, which are nonmonotone, possibly multivalued and have the subdifferential form. The existence of a weak solution to the model is proved by embedding the problem into a class of second-order evolution inclusions and by applying a surjectivity result for multivalued operators.     

Conceptual issues in understanding the inner logic of statistical inference: Insights from two teaching experiments

We report on a sequence of two classroom teaching experiments that investigated high school students’ understandings as they explored connections among the ideas comprising the inner logic of statistical inference—ideas involving a core image of sampling as a repeatable process, and the organization of its outcomes into a distribution of sample statistics as a basis for making inferences. Students’ responses to post-instruction test questions indicate that despite understanding various individual components of inference—a sample, a population, and a distribution of a sample statistic—their abilities to coordinate and compose these into a coherent and well-connected scheme of ideas were usually tenuous. We argue that the coordination and composition required to assemble these component ideas into a coherent scheme is a major source of difficulty in developing a deep understanding of inference.     

The structure of abelian pro-Lie groups

A pro-Lie group is a projective limit of a projective system of finite dimensional Lie groups. A prodiscrete group is a complete abelian topological group in which the open normal subgroups form a basis of the filter of identity neighborhoods. It is shown here that an abelian pro-Lie group is a product of (in general infinitely many) copies of the additive topological group of reals and of an abelian pro-Lie group of a special type; this last factor has a compact connected component, and a characteristic closed subgroup which is a union of all compact subgroups; the factor group modulo this subgroup is pro-discrete and free of nonsingleton compact subgroups. Accordingly, a connected abelian pro-Lie group is a product of a family of copies of the reals and a compact connected abelian group. A topological group is called compactly generated if it is algebraically generated by a compact subset, and a group is called almost connected if the factor group modulo its identity component is compact. It is further shown that a compactly generated abelian pro-Lie group has a characteristic almost connected locally compact subgroup which is a product of a finite number of copies of the reals and a compact abelian group such that the factor group modulo this characteristic subgroup is a compactly generated prodiscrete group without nontrivial compact subgroups.Mathematics Subject Classification (1991): 22B, 22E     

Halpern- and Mann-Type Algorithms for Fixed Points and Inclusion Problems on Hadamard Manifolds

In this article, we consider an inclusion problem which is defined by means of a sum of a single-valued vector field and a set-valued vector field defined on a Hadamard manifold. We propose Halpern-type and Mann-type algorithms for finding a common point of the set of fixed points of a nonexpansive mapping and the set of solutions of the inclusion problem defined on a Hadamard manifold. Some particular cases of our problem and algorithm are also discussed. We study the convergence of the proposed algorithm to a common point of the set of fixed points of a nonexpansive mapping and the set of solutions of the inclusion problem defined on a Hadamard manifold. As applications of our results and algorithms, we derive the solution methods and their convergence results for the optimization problems, variational inequality problems and equilibrium problems in the setting of Hadamard manifolds.     

Scalarization of Henig Proper Efficient Points in a Normed Space

In a general normed space equipped with the order induced by a closed convex cone with a base, using a family of continuous monotone Minkowski functionals and a family of continuous norms, we obtain scalar characterizations of Henig proper efficient points of a general set and a bounded set, respectively. Moreover, we give a scalar characterization of a superefficient point of a set in a normed space equipped with the order induced by a closed convex cone with a bounded base.     

New parameters of subsets in polynomial association schemes

We define new parameters, a zero interval and a dual zero interval, of subsets in P- or Q-polynomial association schemes. A zero interval of a subset in a P-polynomial association scheme is a successive interval index for which the inner distribution vanishes, and a dual zero interval of a subset in a Q-polynomial association scheme is a successive interval index for which the dual inner distribution vanishes. We derive bounds of the lengths of a zero interval and a dual zero interval using the degree and dual degree respectively, and show that a subset in a P-polynomial association scheme (resp. a Q-polynomial association scheme) having a large length of a zero interval (resp. a dual zero interval) induces a completely regular code (resp. a Q-polynomial association scheme). Moreover, we consider the spherical analogue of a dual zero interval.     

A computational comparison of algorithms for the inventory routing problem

The inventory routing problem is a distribution problem in which each customer maintains a local inventory of a product such as heating oil and consumes a certain amount of that product each day. Each day a fleet of trucks is dispatched over a set of routes to resupply a subset of the customers. In this paper, we describe and compare algorithms for this problem defined over a short planning period, e.g. one week. These algorithms define the set of customers to be serviced each day and produce routes for a fleet of vehicles to service those customers. Two algorithms are compared in detail, one which first allocates deliveries to days and then solves a vehicle routing problem and a second which treats the multi-day problem as a modified vehicle routing problem. The comparison is based on a set of real data obtained from a propane distribution firm in Pennsylvania. The solutions obtained by both procedures compare quite favorably with those in use by the firm.Part of this work was performed while this author was visiting the University of Waterloo.