The Kink Phenomenon in Fejér and Clenshaw-Curtis Quadrature

The Fejér and Clenshaw-Curtis rules for numerical integration exhibit a curious phenomenon when applied to certain analytic functions. When N, (the number of points in the integration rule) increases, the error does not decay to zero evenly but does so in two distinct stages. For N less than a critical value, the error behaves like $O(\varrho^{-2N})$, where $\varrho$ is a constant greater than 1. For these values of N the accuracy of both the Fejér and Clenshaw-Curtis rules is almost indistinguishable from that of the more celebrated Gauss-Legendre quadrature rule. For larger N, however, the error decreases at the rate $O(\varrho^{-N})$, i.e., only half as fast as before. Convergence curves typically display a kink where the convergence rate cuts in half. In this paper we derive explicit as well as asymptotic error formulas that provide a complete description of this phenomenon.\ud \ud This work was supported by the Royal Society of the UK and the National Research Foundation of South Africa under the South Africa-UK Science Network Scheme. The first author also acknowledges grant FA2005032300018 of the NRF

Algebraic Tail Decay of Condition Numbers for Random Conic Systems under a General Family of Input Distributions

We consider the conic feasibility problem associated with linear homogeneous systems of inequalities. The complexity of iterative algorithms for solving this problem depends on a condition number. When studying the typical behaviour of algorithms under stochastic input one is therefore naturally led to investigate the fatness of the distribution tails of the random condition number that ensues. We study an unprecedently general class of probability models for the random input matrix and show that the tails decay at algebraic rates with an exponent that naturally emerges when applying a theory of uniform absolute continuity which is also developed in this paper.\ud \ud Raphael Hauser was supported through grant NAL/00720/G from the Nuffield Foundation and through grant GR/M30975 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of the UK. Tobias Müller was partially supported by EPSRC, the Department of Statistics, Bekker-la-Bastide fonds, Dr Hendrik Muller's Vaderlandsch fonds, and Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds

How linear features alter predator movement and the functional\ud response

In areas of oil and gas exploration, seismic lines have been reported to alter the movement patterns of wolves (Canis lupus). We developed a mechanistic first passage time model, based on an anisotropic elliptic partial differential equation, and used this to explore how wolf movement responses to seismic lines influence the encounter rate of the wolves with their prey. The model was parametrized using 5 min GPS location data. These data showed that wolves travelled faster on seismic lines and had a higher probability of staying on a seismic line once they were on it. We simulated wolf movement on a range of seismic line densities and drew implications for the rate of predator–prey interactions as described by the functional response. The functional response exhibited a more than linear increase with respect to prey density (type III) as well as interactions with seismic line density. Encounter rates were significantly higher in landscapes with high seismic line density and were most pronounced at low prey densities. This suggests that prey at low population densities are at higher risk in environments with a high seismic line density unless they learn to avoid them

Stochastic modelling of reaction-diffusion processes:\ud algorithms for bimolecular reactions

Several stochastic simulation algorithms (SSAs) have been recently proposed for modelling reaction-diffusion processes in cellular and molecular biology. In this paper, two commonly used SSAs are studied. The first SSA is an on-lattice model described by the reaction-diffusion master equation. The second SSA is an off-lattice model based on the simulation of Brownian motion of individual molecules and their reactive collisions. In both cases, it is shown that the commonly used implementation of bimolecular reactions (i.e. the reactions of the form A+B → C, or A+A → C) might lead to incorrect results. Improvements of both SSAs are suggested which overcome the difficulties highlighted. In particular, a formula is presented for the smallest possible compartment size (lattice spacing) which can be correctly implemented in the first model. This implementation uses a new formula for the rate of bimolecular reactions per compartment (lattice site)

Constant Scalar Curvature Metrics on Connected Sums

The Yamabe problem (proved in 1984) guarantees the existence of a metric of constant scalar curvature in each conformal class of Riemannian metrics on a compact manifold of dimension $n \geq 3$, which minimizes the total scalar curvature of this conformal class. Let $(M',g')$ and $(M'',g'')$ be compact Riemannian $n$-manifolds. We form their connected sum $M'\#M''$ by removing small balls of radius $\epsilon$ from $M'$, $M''$ and gluing together the $S^{n-1}$ boundaries, and make a metric $g$ on $M'\#M''$ by joining together $g'$,$g''$ with a partition of unity. In this paper we use analysis to study metrics with constant scalar curvature on $M'\#M''$ in the conformal class of $g$. By the Yamabe problem, we may rescale $g'$ and $g''$ to have constant scalar curvature 1, 0 or -1. Thus there are 9 cases, which we handle separately. We show that the constant scalar curvature metrics either develop small `necks' separating $M'$ and $M''$, or one of $M'$, $M''$ is crushed small by the conformal factor. When both sides have positive scalar curvature we find three metrics with scalar curvature 1 in the same conformal class

The effect of a concentration-dependent viscosity on\ud particle transport in a channel flow with porous walls

We analyse the transport of a dilute suspension of particles through a channel with porous walls accounting for the concentration dependence of the viscosity. Two cases of leakage flow of fluid through the porous channel walls are studied: (i) constant flux, and (ii) dependent on the pressure drop across the wall. The effect of mixing the suspension first compared with point injection is examined by considering inlet concentration distributions of different widths. We find that a pessimal distribution width exists that maximizes the required hydrodynamic pressure for a constant fluid influx. We also show that the presence of an osmotic pressure may lead to fluid being sucked into the channel. We consider how the application of an external hydrodynamic pressure affects this observation and discuss the significance of our results for water filtration