This book contains some of the contributions under five main titles that are carefully selected according to the reports of referees, presented at the Inter- national Symposium, MME06 Mathematical Methods in Engineering, held in C¸ankaya University, Ankara, April 27–29, 2006. The Symposium provided a setting for discussing recent developments in Fractional Mathematics, Neutrices and Generalized Functions, Boundary Value Problems, Applications of Wavelets, Dynamical Systems and Control Theory.

On the 16th of October 1843, Sir William R. Hamilton made the discovery of the quaternion algebra H = qo + qli + q2j + q3k whereby the product is determined by the defining relations ·2 ·2 1 Z =] = - , ij = -ji = k. In fact he was inspired by the beautiful geometric model of the complex numbers in which rotations are represented by simple multiplications z ––t az. His goal was to obtain an algebra structure for three dimensional visual space with in particular the possibility of representing all spatial rotations by algebra multiplications and since 1835 he started looking for generalized complex numbers (hypercomplex numbers) of the form a + bi + cj. It hence took him a long time to accept that a fourth dimension was necessary and that commutativity couldn't be kept and he wondered about a possible real life meaning of this fourth dimension which he identified with the scalar part qo as opposed to the vector part ql i + q2j + q3k which represents a point in space.

This book gives an introduction to the classical, well-known special functions which play a role in mathematical physics, especially in boundary value problems. Calculus and complex function theory form the basis of the book and numerous formulas are given. Particular attention is given to asymptomatic and numerical aspects of special functions, with numerous references to recent literature provided.

It was with the publication of Norbert Wiener's book ''The Fourier In­ tegral and Certain of Its Applications" [165] in 1933 by Cambridge Univer­ sity Press that the mathematical community came to realize that there is an alternative approach to the study of c1assical Fourier Analysis, namely, through the theory of c1assical orthogonal polynomials. Little would he know at that time that this little idea of his would help usher in a new and exiting branch of c1assical analysis called q-Fourier Analysis. Attempts at finding q-analogs of Fourier and other related transforms were made by other authors, but it took the mathematical insight and instincts of none other then Richard Askey, the grand master of Special Functions and Orthogonal Polynomials, to see the natural connection between orthogonal polynomials and a systematic theory of q-Fourier Analysis. The paper that he wrote in 1993 with N. M. Atakishiyev and S. K Suslov, entitled "An Analog of the Fourier Transform for a q-Harmonic Oscillator" [13], was probably the first significant publication in this area. The Poisson k~rnel for the contin­ uous q-Hermite polynomials plays a role of the q-exponential function for the analog of the Fourier integral under considerationj see also [14] for an extension of the q-Fourier transform to the general case of Askey-Wilson polynomials. (Another important ingredient of the q-Fourier Analysis, that deserves thorough investigation, is the theory of q-Fourier series.

In this volume we will present some applications of special functions in computer science. This largely consists of adaptations of articles that have appeared in the literature . Here they are presented in a format made accessible for the non-expert by providing some context. The material on group representations and Young tableaux is introductory in nature. However, the algebraic approach of Chapter 2 is original to the authors and has not appeared previously . Similarly, the material and approach based on Appell states, so formulated, is presented here for the first time . As in all volumes of this series, this one is suitable for self-study by researchers . It is as well appropriate as a text for a course or advanced seminar . The solutions are tackled with the help of various analytical techniques, such as g- erating functions, and probabilistic methods/insights appear regularly . An interesting feature is that, as has been the case in classical applications to physics, special functions arise- here in complexity analysis. And, as in physics, their appearance indicates an underlying Lie structure. Our primary audience is applied mathematicians and theoretical computer scientists . We are quite sure that pure mathematicians will find this volume interesting and useful as well .

To date, the theoretical development of q-calculus has rested on a non-uniform basis. Generally, the bulky Gasper-Rahman notation was used, but the published works on q-calculus looked different depending on where and by whom they were written. This confusion of tongues not only complicated the theoretical development but also contributed to q-calculus remaining a neglected mathematical field. This book overcomes these problems by introducing a new and interesting notation for q-calculus based on logarithms.For instance, q-hypergeometric functions are now visually clear and easy to trace back to their hypergeometric parents. With this new notation it is also easy to see the connection between q-hypergeometric functions and the q-gamma function, something that until now has been overlooked.

The book covers many topics on q-calculus, including special functions, combinatorics, and q-difference equations. Apart from a thorough review of the historical development of q-calculus, this book also presents the domains of modern physics for which q-calculus is applicable, such as particle physics and supersymmetry, to name just a few.​

From the reviews: "Volume 1 covers a basic course in real analysis of one variable and Fourier series. It is well-illustrated, well-motivated and very well-provided with a multitude of unusually useful and accessible exercises. (…) There are three aspects of Courant and John in which it outshines (some) contemporaries: (i) the extensive historical references, (ii) the chapter on numerical methods, and (iii) the two chapters on physics and geometry. The exercises in Courant and John are put together purposefully, and either look numerically interesting, or are intuitively significant, or lead to applications. It is the best text known to the reviewer for anyone trying to make an analysis course less abstract. (…)" The Mathematical Gazette (75.1991.471)

The book focuses on advanced computer algebra methods and special functions that have striking applications in the context of quantum field theory. It presents the state of the art and new methods for (infinite) multiple sums, multiple integrals, in particular Feynman integrals, difference and differential equations in the format of survey articles. The presented techniques emerge from interdisciplinary fields:

Special functions are pervasive in all fields of science and industry. The most well-known application areas are in physics, engineering, chemistry, computer science and statistics. Because of their importance, several books and websites (see for instance http: functions.wolfram.com) and a large collection of papers have been devoted to these functions. Of the standard work on the subject, namely the Handbook of Mathematical Functions with formulas, graphs and mathematical tables edited by Milton Abramowitz and Irene Stegun, the American National Institute of Standards claims to have sold over 700 000 copies!

During the past decade, the mathematics of superconductivity has been the subject of intense activity. This book examines in detail the nonlinear Ginzburg–Landau functional, the model most commonly used in the study of superconductivity. Specifically covered are cases in the presence of a strong magnetic field and with a sufficiently large Ginzburg–Landau parameter kappa.

Designed for graduate students, researchers, and engineers in mathematics, optimization, and economics, this self-contained volume presents theory, methods, and applications in mathematical analysis and approximation theory. Specific topics include: approximation of functions by linear positive operators with applications to computer aided geometric design, numerical analysis, optimization theory, and solutions of differential equations. Recent and significant developments in approximation theory, special functions and q-calculus along with their applications to mathematics, engineering, and social sciences are discussed and analyzed. Each chapter enriches the understanding of current research problems and theories in pure and applied research.

The study of fractional integrals and fractional derivatives has a long history, and they have many real-world applications due to their properties of interpolation between operators of integer order. This field has covered classical fractional operators such as Riemann–Liouville, Weyl, Caputo, Grünwald–Letnikov, etc. Also, especially in the last two decades, many new operators have appeared, often defined using integrals with special functions in the kernel, such as Atangana–Baleanu, Prabhakar, Marichev–Saigo–Maeda, and tempered, as well as their extended or multivariable forms. These have been intensively studied because they can also be useful in modelling and analysing real-world processes because of their different properties and behaviours, which are comparable to those of the classical operators.

The present volume contains the Proceedings of the Seventh Iberoamerican Workshop in Orthogonal Polynomials and Applications (EIBPOA, which stands for Encuentros Iberoamericanos de Polinomios Ortogonales y Aplicaciones, in Spanish), held at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Leganés, Spain, from July 3 to July 6, 2018.

By Parmanand Gupta
The present book on ‘‘Power Series Solution and Special Functions’’ has been written as a textbook according to the latest guidelines and syllabus in Mathematics issued by the U.G.C. for various universities