A Barrier Function Method for the Nonconvex Quadratic Programming Problem with Box Constraints

In this paper a barrier function method is proposed for approximating a solution of the nonconvex quadratic programming problem with box constraints. The method attempts to produce a solution of good quality by following a path as the barrier parameter decreases from a sufficiently large positive number. For a given value of the barrier parameter, the method searches for a minimum point of the barrier function in a descent direction, which has a desired property that the box constraints are always satisfied automatically if the step length is a number between zero and one. When all the diagonal entries of the objective function are negative, the method converges to at least a local minimum point of the problem if it yields a local minimum point of the barrier function for a sequence of decreasing values of the barrier parameter with zero limit. Numerical results show that the method always generates a global or near global minimum point as the barrier parameter decreases at a sufficiently slow pace.     

Staircase Parameterization in Dynamical Selection

This paper deals with a variant of a dynamical selection scheme introduced by Attouch and Cominetti for ill-posed convex minimization which combines approximation with the steepest descent method by mean of a suitable parameterization of the approximation parameter as a function of the time. This variant applies to a general inclusion with a maximal monotone operator by mean of a staircase parameterization. A discrete analogue is also considered. Applications to selecting a particular zero of a maximal monotone operator or a particular fixed point of a nonexpansive mapping via regularization techniques are presented. Finally, the alternative use of well-posedness by perturbations is discussed.     

Partially isometric dilations of noncommuting -tuples of operators

Given a row contraction of operators on a Hilbert space and a family of projections on the space that stabilizes the operators, we show there is a unique minimal joint dilation to a row contraction of partial isometries that satisfy natural relations. For a fixed row contraction the set of all dilations forms a partially ordered set with a largest and smallest element. A key technical device in our analysis is a connection with directed graphs. We use a Wold decomposition for partial isometries to describe the models for these dilations, and we discuss how the basic properties of a dilation depend on the row contraction.

     

Existence of a solution for two phase flow in porous media: The case that the porosity depends on the pressure

In this paper we prove the existence of a solution of a coupled system involving a two phase incompressible flow in the ground and the mechanical deformation of the porous medium where the porosity is a function of the global pressure. The model is strongly coupled and involves a nonlinear degenerate parabolic equation. In order to show the existence of a weak solution, we consider a sequence of related uniformly parabolic problems and apply the Schauder fixed point theorem to show that they possess a classical solution. We then prove the relative compactness of sequences of solutions by means of the Fréchet-Kolmogorov theorem; this yields the convergence of a subsequence to a weak solution of the parabolic system.     

On fractional powers of a pair of matrices and a plate-beam problem

In this paper we consider the transversal deflections of a dynamically-coupled Von Kármán system consisting of a plate which has a beam attached to its one edge. The problem is considered in the form of a non-linear evolution problem in a product space. We show the existence of a unique local solution by following a fractional powers approach to first construct a “weak” solution in a larger space. Regularity properties for this solution yield a unique local strong solution for the original boundary-value problem. This approach entails the introduction of fractional powers of a pair of matrices.     

Spectrum of a homogeneous graph

We describe the spectrum of the Laplacian for a homogeneous graph acted on by a discrete group. This follows from a more general result which describes the spectrum of a convolution operator on a homogeneous space of a locally compact group. We also prove a version of Harnack inequality for a Schrödinger operator on an invariant homogeneous graph.     

New parameters of subsets in polynomial association schemes

We define new parameters, a zero interval and a dual zero interval, of subsets in P- or Q-polynomial association schemes. A zero interval of a subset in a P-polynomial association scheme is a successive interval index for which the inner distribution vanishes, and a dual zero interval of a subset in a Q-polynomial association scheme is a successive interval index for which the dual inner distribution vanishes. We derive bounds of the lengths of a zero interval and a dual zero interval using the degree and dual degree respectively, and show that a subset in a P-polynomial association scheme (resp. a Q-polynomial association scheme) having a large length of a zero interval (resp. a dual zero interval) induces a completely regular code (resp. a Q-polynomial association scheme). Moreover, we consider the spherical analogue of a dual zero interval.     

Construction of a CPA contraction metric for periodic orbits using semidefinite optimization

A Riemannian metric with a local contraction property can be used to prove existence and uniqueness of a periodic orbit and determine a subset of its basin of attraction. While the existence of such a contraction metric is equivalent to the existence of an exponentially stable periodic orbit, the explicit construction of the metric is a difficult problem.In this paper, the construction of such a contraction metric is achieved by formulating it as an equivalent problem, namely a feasibility problem in semidefinite optimization. The contraction metric, a matrix-valued function, is constructed as a continuous piecewise affine (CPA) function, which is affine on each simplex of a triangulation of the phase space. The contraction conditions are formulated as conditions on the values at the vertices.The paper states a semidefinite optimization problem. We prove on the one hand that a feasible solution of the optimization problem determines a CPA contraction metric and on the other hand that the optimization problem is always feasible if the system has an exponentially stable periodic orbit and the triangulation is fine enough. An objective function can be used to obtain a bound on the largest Floquet exponent of the periodic orbit.     

A conjecture on bipartite graphical regular representations

In this paper we are concerned with the classification of the finite groups admitting a bipartite DRR and a bipartite GRR.First, we find a natural obstruction that prevents a finite group from admitting a bipartite GRR. Then we give a complete classification of the finite groups satisfying this natural obstruction and hence not admitting a bipartite GRR. Based on these results and on some extensive computer computations, we state a conjecture aiming to give a complete classification of the finite groups admitting a bipartite GRR.Next, we prove the existence of bipartite DRRs for most of the finite groups not admitting a bipartite GRR found in this paper. Actually, we prove a much stronger result: we give an asymptotic enumeration of the bipartite DRRs over these groups. Again, based on these results and on some extensive computer computations, we state a conjecture aiming to give a complete classification of the finite groups admitting a bipartite DRR.     

Kripke submodels and universal sentences

We define two notions for intuitionistic predicate logic: that of a submodel of a Kripke model, and that of a universal sentence. We then prove a corresponding preservation theorem. If a Kripke model is viewed as a functor from a small category to the category of all classical models with (homo)morphisms between them, then we define a submodel of a Kripke model to be a restriction of the original Kripke model to a subcategory of its domain, where every node in the subcategory is mapped to a classical submodel of the corresponding classical model in the range of the original Kripke model. We call a sentence universal if it is built inductively from atoms (including ? and ⊥) using ∧, ∨, ?, and →, with the restriction that antecedents of → must be atomic. We prove that an intuitionistic theory is axiomatized by universal sentences if and only if it is preserved under Kripke submodels. We also prove the following analogue of a classical model‐consistency theorem: The universal fragment of a theory Γ is contained in the universal fragment of a theory Δ if and only if every rooted Kripke model of Δ is strongly equivalent to a submodel of a rooted Kripke model of Γ. Our notions of Kripke submodel and universal sentence are natural in the sense that in the presence of the rule of excluded middle, they collapse to the classical notions of submodel and universal sentence. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Genus fields of Kummer extensions of rational function fields

In this paper we obtain the genus field of a general Kummer extension of a global rational function field. We study first the case of a general Kummer extension of degree a power of a prime. Then we prove that the genus field of a composite of two abelian extensions of a global rational function field with relatively prime degrees is equal to the composite of their respective genus fields. Our main result, the genus of a general Kummer extension of a global rational function field, is a direct consequence of this fact.     

Scalarization of Henig Proper Efficient Points in a Normed Space

In a general normed space equipped with the order induced by a closed convex cone with a base, using a family of continuous monotone Minkowski functionals and a family of continuous norms, we obtain scalar characterizations of Henig proper efficient points of a general set and a bounded set, respectively. Moreover, we give a scalar characterization of a superefficient point of a set in a normed space equipped with the order induced by a closed convex cone with a bounded base.     

Some iterative methods for finding fixed points and for solving constrained convex minimization problems

The present paper is divided into two parts. In the first part, we introduce implicit and explicit iterative schemes for finding the fixed point of a nonexpansive mapping defined on the closed convex subset of a real Hilbert space. We establish results on the strong convergence of the sequences generated by the proposed schemes to a fixed point of a nonexpansive mapping. Such a fixed point is also a solution of a variational inequality defined on the set of fixed points. In the second part, we propose implicit and explicit iterative schemes for finding the approximate minimizer of a constrained convex minimization problem and prove that the sequences generated by our schemes converge strongly to a solution of the constrained convex minimization problem. Such a solution is also a solution of a variational inequality defined over the set of fixed points of a nonexpansive mapping. The results of this paper extend and improve several results presented in the literature in the recent past.     

覆盖数不超过3的图上渡河问题

1000多年前,英国著名学者Alcuin曾提出一个古老的渡河问题,即狼、羊和卷心菜的渡河问题。2006年,Prisner把该问题推广到任意的冲突图上,考虑了一类情况更一般的渡河运输问题。所谓冲突图是指一个图G=(V,E),这里V代表某些物品的集合,V中的两个点有边连结当且仅当这两个点是冲突的,即在无人监管的情况下不允许留在一起的点。图G=(V,E)的一个可行运输方案是指在保证不发生任何冲突的前提下,把V的点所代表的物品全部摆渡到河对岸的一个运输方案。图G的Alcuin数定义为它存在可行运输方案时所需船的最小容量。本文讨论了覆盖数不超过3的连通图的Alcuin数,给出了该类图Alcuin数的完全刻画。     

Mini-Maximizers for Reaction-Diffusion Systems with Skew-Gradient Structure

A reaction-diffusion system with skew-gradient structure is a sort of activator-inhibitor system that consists of two gradient systems coupled in a skew-symmetric way. Any steady state of such a system corresponds to a critical point of some functional. The aim of this paper is to study the relation between a stability property as a steady state of the reaction-diffusion system and a mini-maximizing property as a critical point of the functional. It is shown that a steady state of the skew-gradient system is stable regardless of time constants if and only if it is a mini-maximizer of the functional. It is also shown that the mini-maximizing property is closely related with the diffusion-induced instability. Moreover, by using the property that any mini-maximizer on a convex domain is spatially homogeneous, quite a general instability criterion is obtained for some activator-inhibitor systems. These results are applied to the diffusive FitzHugh-Nagumo system and the Gierer-Meinhardt system.     

The limit cycles of a second-order system of differential equations: The method of small forms

In this paper we investigate the existence of limit cycles of a system of the second-order differential equations with a vector parameter.We propose a method for representing a solution as a sum of forms with respect to the initial value and the parameter; we call this technique the method of small forms. We establish the conditions under which a sufficiently small neighborhood of the equilibrium point contains no limit cycles. We construct a polynomial, whose positive roots of odd multiplicity define the lower bound for the number of cycles, and simple positive roots (other positive roots do not exist) define the number of limit cycles in a sufficiently small neighborhood of the equilibrium point.We prove theorems, whose conditions guarantee that a positive root of odd multiplicity defines a unique limit cycle, but a positive root of even multiplicity defines exactly two limit cycles.We propose a method for defining the type of the stability of limit cycles.     

The rank of the endomorphism monoid of a uniform partition

The rank of a semigroup is the cardinality of a smallest generating set. In this paper we compute the rank of the endomorphism monoid of a non-trivial uniform partition of a finite set, that is, the semigroup of those transformations of a finite set that leave a non-trivial uniform partition invariant. That involves proving that the rank of a wreath product of two symmetric groups is two and then use the fact that the endomorphism monoid of a partition is isomorphic to a wreath product of two full transformation semigroups. The calculation of the rank of these semigroups solves an open question.     

On characterizations of distributions by mean absolute deviation and variance bounds

In this paper we present a bound for the mean absolute deviation of an arbitrary real-valued function of a discrete random variable. Using this bound we characterize a mixture of two Waring (hence geometric) distributions by linearity of a function involved in the bound. A double Lomax distribution is characterized by linearity of the same function involved in the analogous bound for a continuous distribution. Finally, we characterize the Pearson system of distributions and the generalized hypergeometric distributions by a quadratic function involved in a similar bound for the variance of a function of a random variable.     

On farthest points of sets

For a convex closed bounded set in a Banach space, we study the existence and uniqueness problem for a point of this set that is the farthest point from a given point in space. In terms of the existence and uniqueness of the farthest point, as well as the Lipschitzian dependence of this point on a point in space, we obtain necessary and su.cient conditions for the strong convexity of a set in several infinite-dimensional spaces, in particular, in a Hilbert space. A set representable as the intersection of closed balls of a fixed radius is called a strongly convex set. We show that the condition “for each point in space that is sufficiently far from a set, there exists a unique farthest point of the set” is a criterion for the strong convexity of a set in a finite-dimensional normed space, where the norm ball is a strongly convex set and a generating set.