We study the periodic homogenization of first order front propagations. Based on PDE methods, we provide a simple proof that, for n ≥ 3, the class of centrally symmetric polytopes with rational coordinates and nonempty interior is admissible as effective fronts, which was also established by I. Babenko and F. Balacheff [Sur la forme de la boule unit\'e de la norme stable unidimensionnelle, Manuscripta Math. 119 (2006) 347--358] and M. Jotz [Hedlund metrics and the stable norm, Diff. Geometry Appl. 27 (2009) 543--550] in the form of stable norms as an extension of G. A. Hedlund's classical result [Geodesics on a two-dimensional Riemannian manifold with periodic coefficients, Ann. Math. 33 (1932) 719--739]. Besides, we obtain the optimal convergence rate of the homogenization problem for this class.

This paper studies the dynamics of a network-based SIS epidemic model with nonmonotone incidence rate. This type of nonlinear incidence can be used to describe the psychological effect of certain diseases spread in a contact network at high infective levels. We first find a threshold value for the transmission rate. This value completely determines the dynamics of the model and interestingly, the threshold is not dependent on the functional form of the nonlinear incidence rate. Furthermore, if the transmission rate is less than or equal to the threshold value, the disease will die out. Otherwise, it will be permanent. Numerical experiments are given to illustrate the theoretical results. We also consider the effect of the nonlinear incidence on the epidemic dynamics.

We give a method for constructing transcendental entire functions with good control of both the singular values of$f$and the geometry of$f$. Among other applications, we construct a function$f$with bounded singular set, whose Fatou set contains a wandering domain.

This investigation studies nonemptiness problems of plane edge coloring with three colors. In the edge coloring (or Wang tiles) of a plane, unit squares with colored edges that have one of p colors are arranged side by side such that the touching edges of the adjacent tiles have the same colors. Given a basic set B of Wang tiles, the nonemptiness problem is to determine whether or not Σ(B) 6= ∅, where Σ(B) is the set of all global patterns on Z2 that can be constructed from the Wang tiles in B. Wang’s conjecture is that for any B of Wang tiles, Σ(B) 6= ∅ if and only if P(B) 6= ∅, where P(B) is the set of all periodic patterns on Z2 that can be generated by the tiles in B. When p ≥ 5, Wang’s conjecture is known to be wrong. When p = 2, theconjecture is true. This study proves that when p = 3, the conjecture is also true. If P(B) 6= ∅, then B has a subset B′ of minimal cycle generators such that P(B′) 6= ∅ and P(B′′) = ∅ for B′′ $ B′. This study demonstrates that the set C(3) of all minimal cycle generators contains 787, 605 members that can be classified into 2, 906 equivalence classes. N(3) is the set of all maximal non-cycle generators : if B ∈ N(3), then P(B) = ∅ and P(B ˜) 6= ∅ for B ˜ % B. Wang’s conjecture is shown to be true by proving that B ∈ N(3) implies Σ(B) = ∅.

In this paper, we study intermittent behaviors of coupled piecewise-expanding map lattices with two nodes and a weak coupling. We show that the successive phase transition between ordered and disordered phases occurs for almost every orbit. That is, we prove $\liminf_{n\rightarrow \infty}| x_1(n)-x_2(n)|=0$ and $\limsup_{n\rightarrow \infty}| x_1(n)-x_2(n)|\ge c_0>0$, where $x_1(n), x_2(n)$ correspond to the coordinates of two nodes at the iterative step $n$. We also prove the same conclusion for weakly coupled tent-map lattices with any multi-nodes.