Universal spaces for asymptotic dimension

We construct a universal space for the class of proper metric spaces of bounded geometry and of given asymptotic dimension. As a consequence of this result, we establish coincidence of asymptotic dimension with asymptotic inductive dimension.     

A branch and bound algorithm for the robust shortest path problem with interval data

Many real problems can be modelled as robust shortest path problems on interval digraphs, where intervals represent uncertainty about real costs and a robust path is not too far from the shortest path for each possible configuration of the arc costs.A branch and bound algorithm for this problem is presented.     

On the Essential Self-Adjointness of Wick Powers of Relativistic Fields and of Fields Unitary Equivalent to Random Fields

The essential self-adjointness on a natural domain of the sharp-time Wick powers of the relativistic free field in two space-time dimension is proven. Other results on Wick powers are reviewed and discussed.     

Timelike Minimal Surfaces via Loop Groups

This work consists of two parts. In Part I, we shall give a systematic study of Lorentz conformal structure from structural viewpoints. We study manifolds with split-complex structure. We apply general results on split-complex structure for the study of Lorentz surfaces.In Part II, we study the conformal realization of Lorentz surfaces in the Minkowski 3-space via conformal minimal immersions. We apply loop group theoretic Weierstrass-type representation of timelike constant mean curvature for timelike minimal surfaces. Classical integral representation formula for timelike minimal surfaces will be recovered from loop group theoretic viewpoint.     

Isomorphisms of Certain Locally Nilpotent Finitary Groups and Associated Rings

For any chain Γ the ring NT(Γ,K) of all finitary Γ-matrices ‖a _ij ‖ _i,jεΓ over an associative ring K with zeros on and above the main diagonal is locally nilpotent and hence radical. If R′=NT(Γ′,K′),R=NT(Γ,K) and either |Γ|<∞ or K is a ring with no zero-divisors, then isomorphisms between rings R and R′, their adjoint groups and associated Lie rings are described.     

A relaxed model and its homogenization for nematic liquid crystals in composite materials

We analyse a model for equilibrium configurations of composite systems of nematic liquid crystal with polymer inclusions, in the presence of an external magnetic field. We assume that the system has a periodic structure, and consider the relaxed problem on the unit length constraint of the nematic director field. The relaxation of the Oseen–Frank energy functional is carried out by including bulk as well as surface energy penalty terms, rendering the problem fully non‐linear. We employ two‐scale convergence methods to obtain effective configurations of the system, as the size of the polymeric inclusions tends to zero. We discuss the minimizers of the effective energies for, both, the constrained as well as the unconstrained models. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The long‐time behaviour of the thermoconvective flow in a porous medium

For the Boussinesq approximation of the equations of coupled heat and fluid flow in a porous medium we show that the corresponding system of partial differential equations possesses a global attractor. We give lower and upper bounds of the Hausdorff dimension of the attractor depending on a physical parameter of the system, namely the Rayleigh number of the flow. Numerical experiments confirm the theoretical findings and raise new questions on the structure of the solutions of the system. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.