The nonlinear stability in the {L^p} -norm, p ≥ 1 , of stationary weak discrete shocks for the Lax-Friedrichs scheme approximating general m × m systems of nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws is proved, provided that the summations of the initial perturbations equal zero. The result is proved by using both a weighted estimate and characteristic energy method based on the internal structures of the discrete shocks and the essential monotonicity of the Lax-Friedrichs scheme.

We consider a one-dimensional model biodegradation system consisting of two reactionadvection equations for nutrient and pollutant concentrations and a rate equation for biomass. The hydrodynamic dispersion is ignored. Under an explicit condition on the decay and growth rates of biomass, the system can be approximated by two component models by setting biomass kinetics to equilibrium. We derive closed form solutions for constant speed traveling fronts for the reduced two component models and compare their profiles in homogeneous media. For a spatially random velocity field, we introduce travel time and study statistics of degradation fronts via representations in terms of the travel time probability density function (<i>pdf</i>) and the traveling front profiles. The travel time <i>pdf</i> does not vary with the nutrient and pollutant concentrations and only depends on the random water velocity. The traveling front profiles

Let G = (V, E) be a locally finite graph, whose measure μ(x) has positive lower bound, and Δ be the usual graph Laplacian. Applying the mountain-pass theorem due to Ambrosetti and Rabinowitz (1973), we establish existence results for some nonlinear equations, namely Δu + hu = f(x, u), x ∈ V. In particular, we prove that if h and f satisfy certain assumptions, then the above-mentioned equation has strictly positive solutions. Also, we consider existence of positive solutions of the perturbed equation Δu + hu = f(x, u) + ϵg. Similar problems have been extensively studied on the Euclidean space as well as on Riemannian manifolds.

We study the detailed process of bifurcation in the flow’s topological structure for a two-dimensional (2-D) incompressible flow subject to no-slip boundary conditions and its connection with boundary-layer separation. The boundary-layer separation theory of M. Ghil, T. Ma and S. Wang, based on the structural-bifurcation concept, is translated into vorticity form. The vorticity formulation of the theory shows that structural bifurcation occurs whenever a degenerate singular point for the vorticity appears on the boundary; this singular point is characterized by nonzero tangential second-order derivative and nonzero time derivative of the vorticity. Furthermore, we prove the presence of an adverse pressure gradient at the critical point, due to reversal in the direction of the pressure force with respect to the basic shear flow at this point. A numerical example of 2-D driven-cavity flow, governed by the Navier Stokes equations, is presented; boundary-layer separation occurs, the bifurcation criterion is satisfied, and an adverse pressure gradient is shown to be present.

In this paper we study the effects of small viscosity term and the far-field boundary conditions for systems of convection-diffusion equations in the zero viscosity limit. The far-field boundary conditions are classified and the corresponding solution structures are analyzed. It is confirmed that the Neumann type of far-field boundary condition is preferred. On the other hand, we also identify a class of improperly coupled boundary conditions which lead to catastrophic reflection waves dominating the inlet in the zero viscosity limit. The analysis is performed on the linearized convection-diffusion model which well describes the behavior at the far field for many physical and engineering systems such as fluid dynamical equations and electro-magnetic equations. The results obtained here should provide some theoretical guidance for designing effective far field boundary conditions.