Mathematical models of innovation diffusion with stage structure

Mathematical models with stage structures are proposed to describe the process of awareness, evaluation and decision-making. First, a system of ordinary differential equations is presented that incorporates the awareness stage and the decision-making stage. If the adoption rate is bilinear and imitations are dominant, we find a threshold above which innovation diffusion is successful. Further, if the adoption rate has a higher nonlinearity, it is shown that there exist bistable equilibria and a region such that an innovation diffusion is successful inside and is unsuccessful outside. Secondly, a model with a time delay is proposed that includes an evaluation stage of a product. It is proved that the system exhibits stability switches. The bifurcation direction of equilibria is also discussed.     

Interactive vortex shedding from a pair of circular cylinders in a transverse arrangement

Interactive vortex shedding in the multiply connected domain formed by a pair of circular cylinders is analysed by the FEM–FDM blending technique. The vorticity–streamfunction formulation is used to solve the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations at Re = 100, with the time-dependent wall streamfunctions determined from the pressure constraint condition and the far-field streamfunctions from the integral series formula developed earlier by the authors. The standard Galerkin finite element method is used in the relatively small FEM subdomain and the finite difference method based on the general co-ordinate system in the rest of the flow domain. Symmetric, antisymmetric and asymmetric wake patterns are obtained confirming the earlier experimental findings. The bistable nature of the asymmetric vortex shedding as well as the intermittent drifting from one status to the other between symmetric and antisymmetric wake patterns are reported.     

Frequency down-conversion using cascading arrays of coupled nonlinear oscillators

A novel coupling scheme using M≥2 arrays of coupled nonlinear elements arranged in a specific configuration can produce multifrequency patterns or a frequency down-converting effect on an external (input) signal. In such a configuration, each array contains N≥3 nonlinear elements with similar dynamics and each element is coupled unidirectionally within the array. The subsequent arrays in the cascade are coupled in a similar fashion except that the coupling direction is arranged in the opposite direction with respect to that of the preceding array. Previous theoretical work and numerical results have already been reported in [P. Longhini, A. Palacios, V. In, J. Neff, A. Kho, A. Bulsara, Exploiting dynamical symmetry in coupled nonlinear elements for efficient frequency down-conversion, Phys. Rev. E 76 (2007) 026201]. This paper is focused on results of experiments implemented on two distinct systems: the first system is fabricated using discrete component circuits to approximate an overdamped bistable Duffing oscillator described by a quartic potential system, and the second system is built in a microcircuit, where the nonlinearity is described by a hyperbolic tangent function, with the option of applying an external signal to investigate resonant effects. In particular, the circuit implementations for each case use M=2 arrays, but their voltage oscillations already demonstrate that the frequency relations between each of the successive arrays decrease by a rational factor, conforming to earlier theoretical and numerical results for the general case containing M arrays. This behavior is important for efficient frequency down-converting applications which are essential in many communication systems where heterodyning is typically used and it involves multi-step processes with complicated circuitry.     

On the Brownian motion in a double-well potential in the overdamped limit

The Brownian motion of a particle in a double-well potential is considered and the position correlation function (excluding inertial effects) for the potential V(x)=ax²/2+bx⁴/4 is evaluated first by averaging the governing Langevin equation over its realizations. The exact solution is then obtained via matrix continued fractions by using a representation, which symmetrizes the recurrence relations for the observables generated by the averaging procedure leading to convergence of these recurrence relations unlike the previous approaches to the problem. A reliable approximate solution based on the exponential separation of the time scales of the fast intrawell and low overbarrier relaxation processes associated with the bistable potential is also given. It is shown that a knowledge of the three characteristic relaxation times (the integral, effective and the longest relaxation times) of the position correlation function allows one to accurately predict the relaxation behavior of the system in the overdamped limit for all time scales of interest.     

Exact solutions of a Fokker-Planck equation

Exact explicit solutions are given for a one-dimensional Fokker-Planck equation with a particular potential form involving hyperbolic functions. This potential contains four arbitrary parameters that can be chosen so that the potential is bistable. The solutions also contain parameters that can be chosen so that the initial distribution is approximately Gaussian, centered either at the unstable potential maximum or in the neighborhood of the secondary minimum. The use of the solutions to approximate solutions for other potentials is considered.     

Traveling wave solutions of harmonic heat flow

We prove the existence of a traveling wave solution of the equation in an infinitely long cylinder of radius R, which connects two locally stable and axially symmetric steady states at x ₃ = ±∞. Here u is a director field with values in The traveling wave has a singular point on the cylinder axis. Letting R→ ∞ we obtain a traveling wave defined in all space.     

Bistable characteristics of thick-walled axisymmetric domes

We apply a finite element analysis to examine the stability of spherical, thick-walled domes undergoing large deformation. We identify three energetic states, mono-stable, bi-stable, and pseudo-bi-stable that uniquely characterize the behavior of the dome during deformation. An empirical relation is developed using finite element simulations relating the stability of the dome to pertinent geometric parameters like height, length and thickness, which is verified experimentally. Using this relation, similar domes can be designed to have desired stability characteristics.     

Global convergence toward traveling fronts in nonlinear parabolic systems with a gradient structure

We consider nonlinear parabolic systems of the form ut=−∇V(u)+u_xx$u_t=-\mathrm{\nabla }V(u)+u_{xx}$, where u∈Rn$u\in {\mathbb{R}}^n$, n?1$n?1$, x∈R$x\in \mathbb{R}$, and the potential V   is coercive at infinity. For such systems, we prove a result of global convergence toward bistable fronts which states that invasion of a stable homogeneous equilibrium (a local minimum of the potential) necessarily occurs via a traveling front connecting to another (lower) equilibrium. This provides, for instance, a generalization of the global convergence result obtained by Fife and McLeod [P. Fife, J.B. McLeod, The approach of solutions of nonlinear diffusion equations to traveling front solutions, Arch. Rat. Mech. Anal. 65 (1977) 335–361] in the case n=1$n=1$. The proof is based purely on energy methods, it does not make use of comparison principles, which do not hold any more when n>1$n>1$.     

Analysis of chaos behaviors of a bistable piezoelectric cantilever power generation system by the second-order Melnikov function

By applying the second order Melnikov function, the chaos behaviors of a bistable piezoelectric cantilever power generation system are analyzed. Firstly, the conditions for emerging chaos of the system are derived by the second order Melnikov function. Secondly, the effects of each item in chaos threshold expression are analyzed. The excitation frequency and resistance values, which have the most influ-ence on chaos threshold value, are found. The result from the second order Melnikov function is more accurate compared with that from the first order Melnikov function. Finally, the attraction basins of large amplitude motions under different exciting frequency, exciting amplitude, and resistance para-meters are given.     

Nonuniqueness of the traveling wave speed for harmonic heat flow

Given any wave speed c∈R, we construct a traveling wave solution of ut=Δu+²|∇u|u in an infinitely long cylinder, which connects two locally stable and axially symmetric steady states at x₃=±∞. Here u is a director field with values in S²⊂R³: |u|=1. The traveling wave has a singular point on the cylinder axis. In view of the bistable character of the potential, the result is surprising, and it is intimately related to the nonuniqueness of the harmonic map flow itself. We show that for only one wave speed the traveling wave behaves locally, near its singular point, as a symmetric harmonic map.