A conference, to celebrate the 65th birthday of Professor James Serrin, was held at the University of Ferrara from 26 to 30 October 1992, on the occasion of the sixth centenary of the foundation of the university. The dual purpose of this conference was to honor James Serrin and to bring together mathematicians in four main areas of Professor Serrin's research in terests: partial differential equations, variational methods, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics. These fields, with their significant historical connotation, still remain the object of active research and development, and possess a...