In this paper we consider the Stefan problem with a heating term. We study the continuity of the interfaces between the mush, the liquid and the solid for solutions of finite lapnumber.

We consider the question: when do two ordinary, linear, quasi-differential expressions commute? For classical differential expressions, answers to this question are well known. The set of all expressions which commute with a given such expression form a commutative ring. For quasi-differential expressions less is known and such an algebraiastructure can no longer be exploited. Using the theory of very general quasi-differential expressions with matrix-valued coefficients, we prove some general results concerning commutativity of such expressions. We show how, when specialised to scalar expressions, these results include a proof of the conjecture that if a 2nth-order scalar, J-symmetric (or real symmetric) quasi-differential expression commutes with a second order expression having the same properties, then the former must be an nth-order polynomial in the latter. This result was conjectured in a paper by Race and Zettl, to which this paper is a sequel.

Most of the convergence results appearing so far for delayed Lotka–Volterra-type systems require that undelayed negative feedback dominate both delayed feedback and interspecific interactions. Such a requirement is rarely met in real systems. In this paper we present convergence criteria for systems without instantaneous feedback. Roughly, our results suggest that in a Lotka–Volterra-type system if some of the delays are small, and initial functions are small and smooth, then the convergence of its positive steady state follows that of the undelayed system or the corresponding system whose instantaneous negative feedback dominates. In particular, we establish explicit expressions for allowable delay lengths for such convergence to sustain.

We present a geometric approach for systems of ordinary differential equations which generate an order preserving flow. One of our main goals is to describe qualitatively the asymptotic behaviour of trajectories of dynamical systems enjoying a uniformly monotone principle.

We construct the Conley index for maps. We do not assume any compactness of map or space. We prove the Ważewski property, additivity property and continuation property.

In the first part of the paper a variational characterisation of the periodic eigenvalues (the so-called Fučik spectrum) of a semilinear, positive homogeneous Sturm–Liouville equation is given. The proof relies on the S1-invariance of the equation.

In the second part a nonlinear Sturm–Liouville equation with, typically, an exponential nonlinearity is considered. It is proved that under certain conditions this equation is solvable for arbitrary forcing terms. The proof uses a comparison of the minimax levels of the functional associated to this equation with suitable values in the Fučik spectrum.

This is the first of two papers in which we study the singularities of solutions of second-order linear elliptic boundary value problems at the edges of piecewise analytic domains in ℝ3. When the opening angle at the edge is variable, there appears the phenomenon of “crossing” of the exponents of singularities. For this case, we introduce the appropriate combinations of the simple tensor product singularities that allow us to give estimates in ordinary and weighted Sobolev spaces for the regular part of the solution and for the coefficients of the singularities. These combinations appear in a natural way as sections of an analytic bundle above the edge. Their behaviour is described with the help of divided differences of powers of the distance to the edge. The class of operators considered includes second-order elliptic operators with analytic complex-valued coefficients with mixed Dirichlet, Neumann or oblique derivative conditions. With our description of the singularities we are able to remove some restrictive hypotheses that were previously made in other works. In this first part, we prove the basic facts in a simplified framework. Nevertheless the tools we use are essentially the same in the general situation.

This is the second of two papers in which we study the singularities of solutions of second-order linear elliptic boundary value problems at the edges of piecewise analytic domains in ℝ3. When the opening angle at the edge is variable, there appears trie phenomenon of “crossing” of the exponents of singularities. In Part I, we introduced for the Dirichlet problem appropriate combinations of the simple tensor product singularities.

In this second part, we extend the results of Part I to general non-homogeneous boundary conditions. Moreover, we show how these combinations of singularities appear in a natural way as sections of an analytic vector bundle above the edge. In the case when the interior operator is the Laplacian, we give a simpler expression of the combined singular functions, involving divided differences of powers of a complex variable describing the coordinates in the normal plane to the edge.

Time-harmonic electromagnetic waves are scattered by a homogeneous dielectric obstacle. The corresponding electromagnetic transmission problem is reduced to a single integral equation over S for a single unknown tangential vector field, where S is the interface between the obstacle and the surrounding medium. In fact, several different integral equations are derived and analysed, including two previously-known equations due to E. Marx and J. R. Mautz, and two new singular integral equations. Mautz's equation is shown to be uniquely solvable at all frequencies. A new uniquely solvable singular integral equation is also found. The paper also includes a review of methods using pairs of coupled integral equations over S. It is these methods that are usually used in practice, although single integral equations seem to offer some computational advantages.