Calculation of some determinants using the s-shifted factorial

Several determinants with gamma functions as elements are evaluated. This kind of determinants are encountered in the computation of the probability density of the determinant of random matrices. The s-shifted factorial is defined as a generalization for non-negative integers of the power function, the rising factorial (or Pochammer's symbol) and the falling factorial. It is a special case of polynomial sequence of the binomial type studied in combinatorics theory. In terms of the gamma function, an extension is defined for negative integers and even complex values. Properties, mainly composition laws and binomial formulae, are given. They are used to evaluate families of generalized Vandermonde determinants with s-shifted factorials as elements, instead of power functions.Comment: 25 pages; added section 5 for some examples of application

Analysis of Discrete Fractional Operators and Discrete Fractional Rheological Models

This thesis is comprised of two main parts: Monotonicity results on discrete fractional operators and discrete fractional rheological constitutive equations. In the first part of the thesis, we introduce and prove new monotonicity concepts in discrete fractional calculus. In the remainder, we carry previous results about fractional rheological models to the discrete fractional case. The discrete method is expected to provide a better understanding of the concept than the continuous case as this has been the case in the past. In the first chapter, we give brief information about the main results. In the second chapter, we present some fundamental definitions and formulas in discrete fractional calculus. In the third chapter, we introduce two new monotonicity concepts for nonnegative or nonpositive valued functions defined on discrete domains, and then we prove some monotonicity criteria based on the sign of the fractional difference operator of a function. In the fourth chapter, we emphasize the rheological models: We start by giving a brief introduction to rheological models such as Maxwell and Kelvin-Voigt, and then we construct and solve discrete fractional rheological constitutive equations. Finally, we finish this thesis by describing the conclusion and future work