We consider two sequences $a(n)$ and $b(n)$, $1\leq n<\infty $, generated by Dirichlet series

$$ \begin{align*}\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{a(n)}{\lambda_n^{s}}\qquad\text{and}\qquad \sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{b(n)}{\mu_n^{s}},\end{align*} $$

satisfying a familiar functional equation involving the gamma function $\Gamma (s)$. Two general identities are established. The first involves the modified Bessel function $K_{\mu }(z)$, and can be thought of as a ‘modular’ or ‘theta’ relation wherein modified Bessel functions, instead of exponential functions, appear. Appearing in the second identity are $K_{\mu }(z)$, the Bessel functions of imaginary argument $I_{\mu }(z)$, and ordinary hypergeometric functions ${_2F_1}(a,b;c;z)$. Although certain special cases appear in the literature, the general identities are new. The arithmetical functions appearing in the identities include Ramanujan’s arithmetical function $\tau (n)$, the number of representations of n as a sum of k squares $r_k(n)$, and primitive Dirichlet characters $\chi (n)$.

We consider the explicit solution to the axisymmetric diffusion equation. We recast the solution in the form of a Mellin inversion formula, and outline a method to compute a formula for $u(r,t)$ as a series using the Cauchy residue theorem. As a consequence, we are able to represent the solution to the axisymmetric diffusion equation as a rapidly converging series.

Let $p_{n}(x)=\int _{0}^{\infty }J_{0}(xt)[J_{0}(t)]^{n}xt\,dt$ be Kluyver’s probability density for $n$-step uniform random walks in the Euclidean plane. Through connection to a similar problem in two-dimensional quantum field theory, we evaluate the third-order derivative $p_{5}^{\prime \prime \prime }(0^{+})$ in closed form, thereby giving a new proof for a conjecture of J. M. Borwein. By further analogies to Feynman diagrams in quantum field theory, we demonstrate that $p_{n}(x),0\leq x\leq 1$ admits a uniformly convergent Maclaurin expansion for all odd integers $n\geq 5$, thus settling another conjecture of Borwein.

Linear second order differential equations of the form d2w/dz2 − {u2f(u, z) + g(z)}w = 0 are studied, where |u| → ∞ and z lies in a complex bounded or unbounded domain D. If f(u, z) and g(z) are meromorphic in D, and f(u, z) has no zeros, the classical Liouville-Green/WKBJ approximation provides asymptotic expansions involving the exponential function. The coefficients in these expansions either multiply the exponential or in an alternative form appear in the exponent. The latter case has applications to the simplification of turning point expansions as well as certain quantum mechanics problems, and new computable error bounds are derived. It is shown how these bounds can be sharpened to provide realistic error estimates, and this is illustrated by an application to modified Bessel functions of complex argument and large positive order. Explicit computable error bounds are also derived for asymptotic expansions for particular solutions of the nonhomogeneous equations of the form d2w/dz2 − {u2f(z) + g(z)}w = p(z).

We model the axisymmetric unidirectional flow of a Herschel–Bulkley fluid with rheological parameters that depend linearly on pressure. Adopting an appropriate scaling, we formulate the mathematical problem in cylindrical geometry exploiting an integral formulation for the momentum equation in the unyielded part. We prove that, under suitable assumptions on the data of the problem, explicit solutions can be determined. In particular, we determine the position of the yield surface together with the pressure and velocity profiles. With the aid of some plots, we finally discuss the dependence of the solution on the physical parameters of the problem.

We consider the Steklov eigenvalues of the Laplace operator as limiting Neumann eigenvalues in a problem of mass concentration at the boundary of a ball. We discuss the asymptotic behaviour of the Neumann eigenvalues and find explicit formulae for their derivatives in the limiting problem. We deduce that the Neumann eigenvalues have a monotone behaviour in the limit and that Steklov eigenvalues locally minimize the Neumann eigenvalues.

We consider interacting particle systems and their mean-field limits, which are frequently used to model collective aggregation and are known to demonstrate a rich variety of pattern formations. The interaction is based on a pairwise potential combining short-range repulsion and long-range attraction. We study particular solutions, which are referred to as flocks in the second-order models, for the specific choice of the Quasi-Morse interaction potential. Our main result is a rigorous analysis of continuous, compactly supported flock profiles for the biologically relevant parameter regime. Existence and uniqueness are proven for three space dimensions, while existence is shown for the two-dimensional case. Furthermore, we numerically investigate additional Morse-like interactions to complete the understanding of this class of potentials.

In this paper our aim is to deduce some sharp Turán type inequalities for modified Bessel functions of the first and second kinds. Our proofs are based on explicit formulas for the Turánians of the modified Bessel functions of the first and second kinds and on a formula which is related to the infinite divisibility of the Student t-distribution.

Asymptotic expansions for an incomplete Bessel function of large argument are derived when the parametric point (a) is well away from any saddle point, (b) coincides with a saddle point and (c) is in the neighbourhood of a saddle point.