High-order one-way model nesting in dispersive non-uniform media

Global-regional model interaction is considered for two-dimensional linear time dependent waves in a dispersive non-uniform medium with a continuously varying wave speed. The setup, which is sometimes called ‘one-way nesting,’ arises in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) as well as in other fields concerning waves in very large domains. The Carpenter scheme for this type of problem is revisited, in the context of the dispersive wave equation with a variable wave speed. The original Carpenter scheme is based on the Sommerfeld radiation operator, and thus is associated with low-order accuracy. By replacing the Sommerfeld operator with the high-order Hagstrom-Warburton absorbing operator, a modified Carpenter open boundary condition emerges which possesses high-order accuracy. This is demonstrated via a numerical example in a wave guide with a wave speed which varies linearly in the cross section.     

On regularity of a weak solution to the Navier–Stokes equation with generalized impermeability boundary conditions

We consider the 3D Navier–Stokes equation with generalized impermeability boundary conditions. As auxiliary results, we prove the local in time existence of a strong solution (‘strong’ in a limited sense) and a theorem on structure. Then, taking advantage of the boundary conditions, we formulate sufficient conditions for regularity up to the boundary of a weak solution by means of requirements on one of the eigenvalues of the rate of deformation tensor. Finally, we apply these general results to the case of an axially symmetric flow with zero angular velocity.     

Generating Boundary Conditions for the Calculation of Tsunami Propagation on Nested Grids

Some boundary conditions used to numerically simulate tsunami generation and propagation are studied. Special attention is given to generating boundary conditions thatmake it possible to simulate tsunami waves with desired characteristics (amplitude, time period and, in general, waveform). Since the water flow velocity in a propagating tsunami wave is uniquely defined by its height and ocean depth, one can simulate a wave propagating from the boundary into the simulation area. This can be done by specifying the wave height and water flow velocity on the boundary. This method is used to numerically simulate the propagation of a tsunami from the source to the coast on a sequence of refined grids. In this numerical experiment the wave parameters are transferred from the larger area to the subarea via boundary conditions. This method can also generate a wave that has certain characteristics on a specified line.     

Automorphism groups of positive entropy on minimal projective varieties

We determine the geometric structure of a minimal projective threefold having two ‘independent and commutative’ automorphisms of positive topological entropy, and generalize this result to higher-dimensional smooth minimal pairs (X,G). As a consequence, we give an effective lower bound for the first dynamical degree of these automorphisms of X fitting the ‘boundary case’.     

Propagation of surface electromagnetic waves similar to Rayleigh waves in the case of Leontovich boundary conditions

If on a surface Σ bounding an electromagnetic field, the Leontovich boundary conditions with a pure imaginary exponent are fulfilled, then surface electromagnetic waves propagating along Σ may exist. These waves have much in common with the Rayleigh waves in elasticity theory. In the paper, the ray theory of this electromagnetic analog of the Rayleigh waves is constructed. Bibliography: 6 titles. __________ Translated from Zapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov POMI, Vol. 324, 2005, pp. 5–19.     

A splitting technique of higher order for the Navier–Stokes equations

This article presents a splitting technique for solving the time dependent incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. Using nested finite element spaces which can be interpreted as a postprocessing step the splitting method is of more than second order accuracy in time. The integration of adaptive methods in space and time in the splitting are discussed. In this algorithm, a gradient recovery technique is used to compute boundary conditions for the pressure and to achieve a higher convergence order for the gradient at different points of the algorithm. Results on the ‘Flow around a cylinder’s- and the ‘Driven Cavity’s-problem are presented.     

Quasineutral limit of a time-dependent drift-diffusion-Poisson model for p-n junction semiconductor devices

In this paper the vanishing Debye length limit of the bipolar time-dependent drift-diffusion-Poisson equations modelling insulated semiconductor devices with p-n junctions (i.e., with a fixed bipolar background charge) is studied. For sign-changing and smooth doping profile with ‘good’ boundary conditions the quasineutral limit (zero-Debye-length limit) is performed rigorously by using the multiple scaling asymptotic expansions of a singular perturbation analysis and the carefully performed classical energy methods. The key point in the proof is to introduce a ‘density’ transform and two λ-weighted Liapunov-type functionals first, and then to establish the entropy production integration inequality, which yields the uniform estimate with respect to the scaled Debye length. The basic point of the idea involved here is to control strong nonlinear oscillation by the interaction between the entropy and the entropy dissipation.     

About embedded eigenvalues for a spectral problem arising in the study of elastic surface waves in a topographical waveguide

In this paper, we are interested with the spectral study of an operator given by an elastic topographical waveguide, a deformed half‐space, of which the cross‐section is a local perturbation of a homogeneous half‐plane. We look for guided waves propagating more rapidly than Rayleigh waves (which mathematically would correspond to embedded eigenvalues) and prove that there are no guided waves propagating more rapidly than S‐waves. Thanks to the boundary of the deformed half‐plane and some reduced equations, these eventual eigenmodes must locally vanish. Adapting to our case a unique continuation principle for the elasticity system, we conclude that these eigenmodes vanish everywhere. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Global bifurcation of steady gravity water waves with critical layers

We construct families of two-dimensional travelling water waves propagating under the influence of gravity in a flow of constant vorticity over a flat bed, in particular establishing the existence of waves of large amplitude. A Riemann–Hilbert problem approach is used to recast the governing equations as a one-dimensional elliptic pseudodifferential equation with a scalar constraint. The structural properties of this formulation, which arises as the Euler–Lagrange equation of an energy functional, enable us to develop a theory of analytic global bifurcation.     

Diagnostic assessment of children’s proportional reasoning

A proportional reasoning item bank was created from the relevant literature and tested in various forms. Rasch analyses of 303 pupils’ test results were used to calibrate the bank, and data from 84 pupils’ interviews was used to confirm our diagnostic interpretations. A number of sub-tests were scaled, including parallel ‘without models’ and ‘with models’ forms. We provide details of the 13-item ‘without models’ test which was formed from the ‘richest’ diagnostic items and verified on a further test sample (N=212, ages 10-13). Two scales were constructed for this test, one that measures children’s ‘ratio attainment’ and one that measures their ‘tendency for additive strategy.’ Other significant errors — ‘incorrect build-up,’ ‘magical doubling/halving,’ ‘constant sum’ and ‘incomplete reasoning’ — were identified. Finally, an empirical hierarchy of pupils’ attainment of proportional reasoning was formed, incorporating the significant errors and the additive scale.     

A new model for the analysis of reinforced concrete members with a coupled HdBNM/FEM

As a truly boundary-type meshless method, the hybrid boundary node method (HdBNM) does not require ‘boundary element mesh’, either for the purpose of interpolation of the solution variables or for the integration of ‘energy’. In this paper, the HdBNM is coupled with the finite element method (FEM) for predicting the mechanical behaviors of reinforced concrete. The steel bars are considered as body forces in the concrete. A bond model is presented to simulate the bond-slip between the concrete and steels using fictitious spring elements. The computational scale and cost for meshing can be further reduced. Numerical examples, in 2D and 3D cases, demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.     

On the spectrums of frame multiresolution analyses

We first give conditions for a univariate square integrable function to be a scaling function of a frame multiresolution analysis (FMRA) by generalizing the corresponding conditions for a scaling function of a multiresolution analysis (MRA). We also characterize the spectrum of the ‘central space’ of an FMRA, and then give a new condition for an FMRA to admit a single frame wavelet solely in terms of the spectrum of the central space of an FMRA. This improves the results previously obtained by Benedetto and Treiber and by some of the authors. Our methods and results are applied to the problem of the ‘containments’ of FMRAs in MRAs. We first prove that an FMRA is always contained in an MRA, and then we characterize those MRAs that contain ‘genuine’ FMRAs in terms of the unique low-pass filters of the MRAs and the spectrums of the central spaces of the FMRAs to be contained. This characterization shows, in particular, that if the low-pass filter of an MRA is almost everywhere zero-free, as is the case of the MRAs of Daubechies, then the MRA contains no FMRAs other than itself.     

Detectability of critical points of smooth functionals from their finite-dimensional approximations

Given a critical point of a C²-functional on a separable Hilbert space, we obtain sufficient conditions for it to be detectable (i.e. ‘visible’) from finite-dimensional Rayleigh-Ritz-Galerkin (RRG) approximations. While examples show that even nondegenerate critical points are, without any further restriction, not visible, we single out relevant classes of smooth functionals, e.g. the Hamiltonian action on the loop space or the functionals associated with boundary value problems for some semilinear elliptic equations, such that their nondegenerate critical points are visible from their RRG approximations.     

Analysis of the Nonlinear Shallow Water Equations Over Nonplanar Topography

The role played by the beach bottom profile on coastal inundation phenomena is analyzed here by means of approximate analytical solutions of the nonlinear shallow water equations (NSWEs) over uneven bottoms. These are obtained by only using the assumptions of small waves at the seaward boundary and small topographic forcing. Our work, built on the Carrier and Greenspan [ 1 ] hodographic transformation and on the solution of the boundary value problem (BVP) for the NSWEs proposed by Antuono and Brocchini [ 2 ], focuses on the propagation of nonlinear non-breaking waves over quasi-planar beaches. Since the terms associated with the perturbed bottom only appear in the second-order perturbed solutions, the breaking conditions for the planar-beach bathymetry also predict well the breaking occurring on the nonplanar beaches analyzed here. The most important results, concerning the shoreline position and the near-shoreline velocity, are given for both pulse-like and periodic input waves propagating over two types of nonplanar bathymetries. The solution proposed here is a fundamental benchmark for any numerical and theoretical analyzes concerned with estimates of wave run-up on beaches of complex shape.     

Proof of the Razumov-Stroganov conjecture

The Razumov-Stroganov conjecture relates the ground-state coefficients in the periodic even-length dense O(1) loop model to the enumeration of fully-packed loop configurations on the square, with alternating boundary conditions, refined according to the link pattern for the boundary points.Here we prove this conjecture, by means of purely combinatorial methods. The main ingredient is a generalization of the Wieland proof technique for the dihedral symmetry of these classes, based on the ‘gyration’ operation, whose full strength we will investigate in a companion paper.     

“I’m not very good at solving problems”: An exploration of students’ problem solving behaviours

This paper reports one aspect of a larger study which looked at the strategies used by a selection of grade 6 students to solve six non-routine mathematical problems. The data revealed that the students exhibited many of the behaviours identified in the literature as being associated with novice and expert problem solvers. However, the categories of ‘novice’ and ‘expert’ were not fully adequate to describe the range of behaviours observed and instead three categories that were characteristic of behaviours associated with ‘naïve’, ‘routine’ and ‘sophisticated’ approaches to solving problems were identified. Furthermore, examination of individual cases revealed that each student's problem solving performance was consistent across a range of problems, indicating a particular orientation towards naïve, routine or sophisticated problem solving behaviours. This paper describes common problem solving behaviours and details three individual cases involving naïve, routine and sophisticated problem solvers.     

A multivariate version of the Benjamini-Hochberg method

We propose a multivariate method for combining results from independent studies about the same ‘large scale’ multiple testing problem. The method works asymptotically in the number of hypotheses and consists of applying the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure to the p-values of each study separately by determining the ‘individual false discovery rates’ which maximize power subject to a restriction on the (global) false discovery rate. We show how to obtain solutions to the associated optimization problem, provide both theoretical and numerical examples, and compare the method with univariate ones.     

A meshless based numerical technique for traveling solitary wave solution of Boussinesq equation

In this paper, we employ the boundary-only meshfree method to find out numerical solution of the classical Boussinesq equation in one dimension. The proposed method in the current paper is a combination of boundary knot method and meshless analog equation method. The boundary knot technique is an integration free, boundary-only, meshless method which is used to avoid the known disadvantages of the method of fundamental solution. Also, we use the meshless analog equation method to replace the nonlinear governing equation with an equivalent nonhomogeneous linear equation. A predictor-corrector scheme is proposed to solve the resulted differential equation of the collocation. The numerical results and conclusions are obtained for both the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ Boussinesq equations.     

Covering relations, cone conditions and the stable manifold theorem

We show how to effectively link covering relations with cone conditions. We give a new, ‘geometric,’ proof of the stable manifold theorem for hyperbolic fixed point of a map.