On the elementary divisors of the Sylvester and Lyapunov maps

The paper addresses the problem of computing the elementary divisors of the tensor product of linear transformations using the analysis of the tensor products of polynomial models, as developed in Fuhrmann and Helmke [5]. We use this to study the elementary divisors of the Lyapunov and complementary Lyapunov maps.     

Two proofs of the Bermond-Thomassen conjecture for tournaments with bounded minimum in-degree

The Bermond-Thomassen conjecture states that, for any positive integer r, a digraph of minimum out-degree at least 2r−1 contains at least r vertex-disjoint directed cycles. Thomassen proved that it is true when r=2, and very recently the conjecture was proved for the case where r=3. It is still open for larger values of r, even when restricted to (regular) tournaments. In this paper, we present two proofs of this conjecture for tournaments with minimum in-degree at least 2r−1. In particular, this shows that the conjecture is true for (almost) regular tournaments. In the first proof, we prove auxiliary results about union of sets contained in another union of sets, that might be of independent interest. The second one uses a more graph-theoretical approach, by studying the properties of a maximum set of vertex-disjoint directed triangles.     

Global dynamics of a class of SEIRS epidemic models in a periodic environment

In this paper, we study a class of periodic SEIRS epidemic models and it is shown that the global dynamics is determined by the basic reproduction number R₀ which is defined through the spectral radius of a linear integral operator. If R₀<1, then the disease free periodic solution is globally asymptotically stable and if R₀>1, then the disease persists. Our results really improve the results in [T. Zhang, Z. Teng, On a nonautonomous SEIRS model in epidemiology Bull. Math. Biol. 69 (8) (2007) 2537-2559] for the periodic case. Moreover, from our results, we see that the eradication policy on the basis of the basic reproduction number of the time-averaged system may overestimate the infectious risk of the periodic disease. Numerical simulations which support our theoretical analysis are also given.     

Absolute cyclicity, Lyapunov quantities and center conditions

In this paper we consider analytic vector fields X₀ having a non-degenerate center point e. We estimate the maximum number of small amplitude limit cycles, i.e., limit cycles that arise after small perturbations of X₀ from e. When the perturbation (Xλ) is fixed, this number is referred to as the cyclicity of Xλ at e for λ near 0. In this paper, we study the so-called absolute cyclicity; i.e., an upper bound for the cyclicity of any perturbation Xλ for which the set defined by the center conditions is a fixed linear variety. It is known that the zero-set of the Lyapunov quantities correspond to the center conditions (Caubergh and Dumortier (2004) [6]). If the ideal generated by the Lyapunov quantities is regular, then the absolute cyclicity is the dimension of this so-called Lyapunov ideal minus 1. Here we study the absolute cyclicity in case that the Lyapunov ideal is not regular.     

Singular and nonsingular first-order initial value problems

Under barrier strip type arguments we investigate the existence of global solutions to the initial value problem x^′=f(t,x,x^′), x(0)=A, where the scalar function f(t,x,p) may be singular at x=A.     

A comparison of NRBCs for PUFEM in 2D Helmholtz problems at high wave numbers

In this work, exact and approximate non-reflecting boundary conditions (NRBCs) are implemented with the Partition of Unity Finite Element Method (PUFEM) to solve short wave scattering problems governed by the Helmholtz equation in two dimensions. By short wave problems, we mean situations in which the wavelength is a small fraction of the characteristic dimension of the scatterer. Various NRBCs are implemented and a comparison of their performance is carried out based on the accuracy of the results, ease of implementation and computational cost. The aim is to accurately model such problems in a reduced computational domain around the scatterer with fewer elements and without refining the mesh at each wave number.     

Numerical differentiation for high orders by an integration method

This paper mainly studies the numerical differentiation by integration method proposed first by Lanczos. New schemes of the Lanczos derivatives are put forward for reconstructing numerical derivatives for high orders from noise data. The convergence rate of these proposed methods is as the noise level δ→0. Numerical examples show that the proposed methods are stable and efficient.     

The rectilinear distance Weber problem in the presence of a probabilistic line barrier

This paper considers the problem of locating a single facility in the presence of a line barrier that occurs randomly on a given horizontal route on the plane. The objective is to locate this new facility such that the sum of the expected rectilinear distances from the facility to the demand points in the presence of the probabilistic barrier is minimized. Some properties of the problem are reported, a solution algorithm is provided with an example problem, and some future extensions to the problem are discussed.     

Engaging in problem posing activities in a dynamic geometry setting and the development of prospective teachers’ mathematical knowledge

In the present study we explore changes in perceptions of our class of prospective mathematics teachers (PTs) regarding their mathematical knowledge. The PTs engaged in problem posing activities in geometry, using the “What If Not?” (WIN) strategy, as part of their work on computerized inquiry-based activities. Data received from the PTs’ portfolios reveals that they believe that engaging in the inquiry-based activity enhanced both their mathematical and meta-mathematical knowledge. As to the mathematical knowledge, they deepened their knowledge regarding the geometrical concepts and shapes involved, and during the process of creating the problem and checking its validity and its solution, they deepened their understanding of the interconnections among the concepts and shapes involved. As to meta-mathematical knowledge, the PTs refer to aspects such as the meaning of the givens and their relations, validity of an argument, the importance and usefulness of the definitions of concepts and objects, and the importance of providing a formal proof.     

On the effectiveness of a generalization of Miller’s primality theorem

Berrizbeitia and Olivieri showed in a recent paper that, for any integer r$r$, the notion of ω$\omega$-prime to base a$a$ leads to a primality test for numbers n≡1$n\equiv 1$ mod r$r$, that under the Extended Riemann Hypothesis (ERH) runs in polynomial time. They showed that the complexity of their test is at most the complexity of the Miller primality test (MPT), which is O((logn)^4+o(1))$O\left({(logn)}^{4+o\left(1\right)}\right)$. They conjectured that their test is more effective than the MPT if r$r$ is large.