A probabilistic analysis of a measure of combinatorial complexity for the central curve

We investigate certain combinatorial properties of the central curve associated with interior point methods for linear optimization. We define a measure of complexity for the curve in terms of the number of turns, or changes of direction, that it makes in a geometric sense, and then perform an average case analysis of this measure for P-matrix linear complementarity problems. We show that the expected number of nondegenerate turns taken by the central curve is bounded by n ²-n, where the expectation is taken with respect to a sign-invariant probability distribution on the problem data. As an alternative measure of complexity, we also consider the number of times the central curve intersects with a wide class of algebraic hypersurfaces, including such objects as spheres and boxes. As an example of the results obtained, we show that the primal and dual variables in each coordinate of the central curve cross each other at most once, on average. As a further example, we show that the central curve intersects any sphere centered at the origin at most twice, on average. Received May 28, 1998 / Revised version received October 12, 1999?Published online December 15, 1999     

A bound on the Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity for curves

Recall that a projective curve in with ideal sheaf is said to be n-regular if for every integer and that in this case, it is cut out scheme-theoretically by equations of degree at most n. The purpose here is to show that an irreducible, reduced, projective curve of degree d and large arithmetic genus satisfies a smaller regularity bound than the optimal one . For example, if then a curve is -regular unless it is embedded by a complete linear system of degree . Received: 29 May 2000 / Published online: 24 September 2001     

The generalised Cornu spiral and its application to span generation

A Cornu spiral is a plane curve having a linear curvature profile. This paper considers plane curves having rational linear curvature profiles. These curves are defined to be generalised Cornu spirals (GCS) and are quality curves in the sense that they are continuous and smooth, can contain one inflection at most, and have a bounded and monotonic curvature profile. In addition, the GCS has an extra degree of freedom over the Cornu spiral that is available for shape control. Starting from the intrinsic equation of the GCS, the technique of curve synthesis is used to design a quality curve that can be applied to a wide range of span generation problems.     

Curves in Grassmannians

This paper considers curves in Grassmannians which are themselves immersed in projective space by the Plücker map. It is shown that for a generic vector bundle of high enough degree, the image curve lies in a proper linear subvariety of this projective space and satisfies good conditions on syzygies as a curve in this subspace. For very small degree and generic vector bundle, the curve is non-degenerate.

     

The Nother and Riemann-Roch type theorems for piecewise algebraic curve

A piecewise algebraic curve is a curve determined by the zero set of a bivariate spline function. In this paper, the Nother type theorems for Cμpiecewise algebraic curves are obtained. The theory of the linear series of sets of places on the piecewise algebraic curve is also established. In this theory, singular cycles are put into the linear series, and a complete series of the piecewise algebraic curves consists of all effective ordinary cycles in an equivalence class and all effective singular cycles which are equivalent specifically to any effective ordinary cycle in the equivalence class. This theory is a generalization of that of linear series of the algebraic curve. With this theory and the fundamental theory of multivariate splines on smoothing cofactors and global conformality conditions, and the results on the general expression of multivariate splines, we get a formula on the index, the order and the dimension of a complete series of the irreducible Cμpiecewise algebraic curves and the degree, the genus and the smoothness of the curves, hence the Riemann-Roch type theorem of the Cμpiecewise algebraic curve is established.     

Bifurcation from infinity for an asymptotically linear problem on the half-line

This paper is concerned with asymptotic bifurcation for a semilinear equation on the half-line. For an asymptotically linear nonlinearity, the existence of a continuum of solutions ‘bifurcating from infinity’ is obtained by using a topological degree. Under additional monotonicity conditions, the continuum is shown to be a continuous curve. Applications to nonlinear planar waveguides are mentioned.     

A generalization of the growth curve model which allows missing data

This study presents methods for estimating and testing hypotheses about linear functions of the unknown parameters in a generalization of the growth curve model which allows missing data. The estimators proposed are best asymptotically normal (BAN). A testing method for large samples is described which uses a test criterion given in general form by Wald. The asymptotic null distribution of the test statistic is a central chi-square variable. A BAN estimator of a linear vector function of the unknown parameters of the expectation model and consistent estimators of the variance-covariance parameters are required for computation.     

Upper bounds for the height of S-integral points on elliptic curves

We establish new upper bounds for the height of the S-integral points of an elliptic curve. This bound is explicitly given in terms of the set S of places of the number field K involved, but also in terms of the degree of K, as well as the rank, the regulator and the height of a basis of the Mordell–Weil group of the curve. The proof uses the elliptic analogue of Baker’s method, based on lower bounds for linear forms in elliptic logarithms.     

Trigonal gorenstein curves and special linear systems

LetY be a Gorenstein trigonal curve withg:=pa(Y)≥0. Here we study the theory of special linear systems onY, extending the classical case of a smoothY given by Maroni in 1946. As in the classical case, to study it we use the minimal degree surface scroll containing the canonical model ofY. The answer is different if the degree 3 pencil onY is associated to a line bundle or not. We also give the easier case of special linear series on hyperelliptic curves. The unique hyperelliptic curve of genusg which is not Gorenstein has no special spanned line bundle.     

The Nöther and Riemann-Roch type theorems for piecewise algebraic curve

A piecewise algebraic curve is a curve determined by the zero set of a bivariate spline function. In this paper, the Nöther type theorems for C ^µ piecewise algebraic curves are obtained. The theory of the linear series of sets of places on the piecewise algebraic curve is also established. In this theory, singular cycles are put into the linear series, and a complete series of the piecewise algebraic curves consists of all effective ordinary cycles in an equivalence class and all effective singular cycles which are equivalent specifically to any effective ordinary cycle in the equivalence class. This theory is a generalization of that of linear series of the algebraic curve. With this theory and the fundamental theory of multivariate splines on smoothing cofactors and global conformality conditions, and the results on the general expression of multivariate splines, we get a formula on the index, the order and the dimension of a complete series of the irreducible C ^µ piecewise algebraic curves and the degree, the genus and the smoothness of the curves, hence the Riemann-Roch type theorem of the C ^µ piecewise algebraic curve is established.     

The Brauer group of a curve over a strictly local discrete valuation ring

LetK be the field of fractions of a curve overR whereR is the henselization of a regular local ring on an algebraic curve over a field which is algebraically closed and has characteristic 0. ThenK has the exponent=degree property for division algebras. In fact every central finite dimensionalK-division algebra with exponentn is a cyclic algebra of degreen. In memory of Professor S. A. Amitsur     

Self-parallel and transnormal curves

The construction of examples of self-parallel curves from a closed central curve given by F. J. Craveiro de Carvalho and S. A. Robertson is extended to general closed regular curves without the assumption of non-vanishing curvature made there. Furthermore, every self-parallel curve in 3-space is shown to be of the type obtained by this construction, if the order of the self-parallel group is greater than 2. These considerations are used to present examples for transnormal curves in 4-space with arbitrarily high degree of transnormality, disproving a long-standing conjecture of M. C. Irwin.     

Visualization of the Motion of the Human Spine in the Context of Gait Analysis through Splines

The present paper describes an approach for the reconstruction of the motion of the human spine based on marker tracking. The approach uses a spline curve of fifth degree to reproduce the contour of the central marrow line and a set of virtual sliders along the spline with fixed offset distances which model external markers including skin motion. The fitting process is formulated as an optimization problem minimizing the quadratic error between the tips of the sliders and the measured marker positions. The paper also discusses some simplifications of this approach. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Efficient computation of the Gauss-Newton direction when fitting NURBS using ODR

We consider a subproblem in parameter estimation using the Gauss-Newton algorithm with regularization for NURBS curve fitting. The NURBS curve is fitted to a set of data points in least-squares sense, where the sum of squared orthogonal distances is minimized. Control-points and weights are estimated. The knot-vector and the degree of the NURBS curve are kept constant. In the Gauss-Newton algorithm, a search direction is obtained from a linear overdetermined system with a Jacobian and a residual vector. Because of the properties of our problem, the Jacobian has a particular sparse structure which is suitable for performing a splitting of variables. We are handling the computational problems and report the obtained accuracy using different methods, and the elapsed real computational time. The splitting of variables is a two times faster method than using plain normal equations.     

Linear systems on tropical curves

A tropical curve Γ is a metric graph with possibly unbounded edges, and tropical rational functions are continuous piecewise linear functions with integer slopes. We define the complete linear system |D| of a divisor D on a tropical curve Γ analogously to the classical counterpart. We investigate the structure of |D| as a cell complex and show that linear systems are quotients of tropical modules, finitely generated by vertices of the cell complex. Using a finite set of generators, |D| defines a map from Γ to a tropical projective space, and the image can be modified to a tropical curve of degree equal to deg(D) when |D| is base point free. The tropical convex hull of the image realizes the linear system |D| as a polyhedral complex. We show that curves for which the canonical divisor is not very ample are hyperelliptic. We also show that the Picard group of a ${\mathbb{Q}}$ -tropical curve is a direct limit of critical groups of finite graphs converging to the curve.     

Invariant theory for the elliptic normal quintic, I. Twists of X(5)

A genus one curve of degree 5 is defined by the $4 \times 4$ Pfaffians of a $5 \times 5$ alternating matrix of linear forms on $\mathbb{P }^4$ . We describe a general method for investigating the invariant theory of such models. We use it to explain how we found our algorithm for computing the invariants and to extend our method for computing equations for visible elements of order 5 in the Tate-Shafarevich group of an elliptic curve. As a special case of the latter we find a formula for the family of elliptic curves 5-congruent to a given elliptic curve in the case the 5-congruence does not respect the Weil pairing. We also give an algorithm for doubling elements in the $5$ -Selmer group of an elliptic curve, and make a conjecture about the matrices representing the invariant differential on a genus one normal curve of arbitrary degree.     

A Generalization of the Arnold-Wendland Lemma to a Modified Collocation Method for Boundary Integral Equations in ℝ3

We prove quasioptimal and optimal order estimates in various Sobolev norms for the approximation of linear strongly elliptic periodic pseudodifferential equations in two independent variables by a modified method of nodal collocation by odd degree polynomial splines. In the one-dimensional case, our method coincides with the method of nodal collocation when odd degree polynomial splines are employed for the trial functions. The convergence analysis is based on an equivalence which we establish between our method and a nonstandard Galerkin method for an operator closely related to the given operator. This equivalence is realized through a crucial intermediate result (which we now term the Arnold-Wendland lemma) to connect the solution of central finite difference equations and that of certain nonstandard Galerkin equations. The results of this paper are genuine two-dimensional generalizations of the results obtained by ARNOLD and WENDLAND in [2] for the one-dimensional equations.     

Vertices of planar curves under the action of linear transformations

The number of vertices of a smooth Jordan curve with nowhere vanishing curvature can change under the action of a nonsingular real linear transformation. We examine the bifurcation set in the space of linear transformations for the number of vertices on the image curve, showing that generally there is a codimension-one set of linear transformations making an arbitrary point into a vertex, and obtaining conditions that the point be capable of being transformed into a higher vertex. We demonstrate that there is always an open set of linear transformations such that the image curves have at least six vertices. Received 23 July 1999; revised 17 March 2000.     

Degree elevation from Bzier curve to C-Bzier curve with corner cutting form

The existing results of curve degree elevation mainly focus on the degree of algebraic polynomials. The paper considers the elevation of degree of the trigonometric polynomial, from a Bzier curve on the algebraic polynomial space, to a C-B′ezier curve on the algebraic and trigonometric polynomial space. The matrix of degree elevation is obtained by an operator presentation and a derivation pyramid. It possesses not a recursive presentation but a direct expression. The degree elevation process can also be represented as a corner cutting form.     

Linear systems on singular curves

We start this work by studying free linear systems on singular curves and related base point free linear systems on the non-singular model. We apply these results to the study of pencils of small degree on non-singular curves. We also prove a “base point free pencil trick” which holds for any (possibly) singular curve. Received: 15 June 1998