A probabilistic approach to spectral analysis of growth-fragmentation equations

The growth-fragmentation equation describes a system of growing and dividing particles, and arises in models of cell division, protein polymerisation and even telecommunications protocols. Several important questions about the equation concern the asymptotic behaviour of solutions at large times: at what rate do they converge to zero or infinity, and what does the asymptotic profile of the solutions look like? Does the rescaled solution converge to its asymptotic profile at an exponential speed? These questions have traditionally been studied using analytic techniques such as entropy methods or splitting of operators. In this work, we present a probabilistic approach: we use a Feynman–Kac formula to relate the solution of the growth-fragmentation equation to the semigroup of a Markov process, and characterise the rate of decay or growth in terms of this process. We then identify the Malthus exponent and the asymptotic profile in terms of a related Markov process, and give a spectral interpretation in terms of the growth-fragmentation operator and its dual.     

The destabilizing effect of boundary slip on Bénard convection

We investigate the influence of slip boundary conditions on the onset of Bénard convection in an infinite fluid layer. It is shown that the critical Rayleigh number is a decreasing function of the slip length, and therefore boundary slip is seen to have a destabilizing effect. Chebyshev‐tau and compound matrix formulations for solving the eigenvalue problem are presented. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the critical exponents of random k‐SAT

There has been much recent interest in the satisfiability of random Boolean formulas. A random k‐SAT formula is the conjunction of m random clauses, each of which is the disjunction of k literals (a variable or its negation). It is known that when the number of variables n is large, there is a sharp transition from satisfiability to unsatisfiability; in the case of 2‐SAT this happens when m/n → 1, for 3‐SAT the critical ratio is thought to be m/n ≈ 4.2. The sharpness of this transition is characterized by a critical exponent, sometimes called ν = ν_k (the smaller the value of ν the sharper the transition). Experiments have suggested that ν₃ = 1.5 ± 0.1. ν₄ = 1.25 ± 0.05, ν₅ = 1.1 ± 0.05, ν₆ = 1.05 ± 0.05, and heuristics have suggested that ν_k → 1 as k → ∞. We give here a simple proof that each of these exponents is at least 2 (provided the exponent is well defined). This result holds for each of the three standard ensembles of random k‐SAT formulas: m clauses selected uniformly at random without replacement, m clauses selected uniformly at random with replacement, and each clause selected with probability p independent of the other clauses. We also obtain similar results for q‐colorability and the appearance of a q‐core in a random graph. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 21: 182–195, 2002     

Zero Dissipative, Explicit Numerov-Type Methods for Second Order IVPs with Oscillating Solutions

New explicit, zero dissipative, hybrid Numerov type methods are presented in this paper. We derive these methods using an alternative which avoids the use of costly high accuracy interpolatory nodes. We only need the Taylor expansion at some internal points then. The method is of sixth algebraic order at a cost of seven stages per step while their phase lag order is fourteen. The zero dissipation condition is satisfied, so the methods possess an non empty interval of periodicity. Numerical results over some well known problems in physics and mechanics indicate the superiority of the new method.     

具有控制系数的高阶线性微分方程复振荡的一个结果

该文考虑具有控制系数 A\-0 和系数仅有有限个极点的高阶线性齐次微分方程（1.1）。得到了一个复振荡结果，该结果是J. K. Langley［11］等作者在整系数下相应结果的推广。     

稀疏过程在破产问题中的应用

本讨论一类人寿保险的风险过程，其中保单到达服从齐次Poisson过程。而描述退保及索赔发生的计数过程分别为这一过程的q-稀疏与p-稀疏．对此模型给出其破产概率的具体上界，并与其它一类风险模型进行比较．     

On the application of slip boundary condition on curved boundaries

Hydrodynamic simulations of sloshing phenomena often involve the application of slip boundary condition at the wetted surfaces. If these surfaces are curved, the ambiguous nature of the normal vector in the discretized problem can interfere with the application of such a boundary condition. Even the use of consistent normal vectors, preferred from the point of view of conservation, does not assure good approximation of the continuum slip condition in the discrete problem, and non‐physical recirculating flow fields may be observed. As a remedy, we consider the Navier slip condition, and more successfully, the so‐called BC‐free boundary condition. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Critical Behavior of Two Interacting Linear Polymer Chains in a Good Solvent

A model of two interacting (chemically different) linear polymer chains is solved exactly using the real-space renormalization group transformation on a family of Sierpinski gasket type fractals and on a truncated 4-simplex lattice. The members of the family of the Sierpinski gasket-type fractals are characterized by an integer scale factorb which runs from 2 to ∞. The Hausdorff dimensiond _F of these fractals tends to 2 from below asb → ∞. We calculate the contact exponenty for the transition from the State of segregation to a State in which the two chains are entangled forb = 2-5. Using arguments based on the finite-size scaling theory, we show that forb→∞, y = 2 - v(b) d _F, wherev is the end-toend distance exponent of a chain. For a truncated 4-simplex lattice it is shown that the system of two chains either remains in a State in which these chains are intermingled in such a way that they cannot be told apart, in the sense that the chemical difference between the polymer chains completely drop out of the thermodynamics of the system, or in a State in which they are either zipped or entangled. We show the region of existence of these different phases separated by tricritical lines. The value of the contact exponenty is calculated at the tricritical points.