Topological games and continuity of group operations

We consider a topological game GΠ involving two players α and β and show that, for a paratopological group, the absence of a winning strategy for player β implies the group is a topological one. We provide a large class of topological spaces X for which the absence of a winning strategy for player β is equivalent to the requirement that X is a Baire space. This allows to extend the class of paratopological or semitopological groups for which one can prove that they are, actually, topological groups.Conditions of the type “existence of a winning strategy for the player α” or “absence of a winning strategy for the player β” are frequently used in mathematics. Though convenient and satisfactory for theoretical considerations, such conditions do not reveal much about the internal structure of the topological space where they hold. We show that the existence of a winning strategy for any of the players in all games of Banach-Mazur type can be expressed in terms of “saturated sieves” of open sets.     

Das Anfangs-Randwertproblem eines dünnen Profils in kompressibler Unterschallströmung

Summary The initial boundary value problem of a thin profile in a compressible subsonic flow is investigated, being important for the gust problem. Existence and uniqueness of the solution are shown. By a generalizedWiener-Hopf-equation, the solution is reduced to the solution of a system of integro-differential equations for the downwashes in the profile plane. This system can be solved exactly by an iterative calculation of integrals for any value of timet>0. Finally, for smallt>0, the indicial-admittance function for vertical translation is found and is compared with a result given byLomax [6]. The asymptotic case for larget>0 will be investigated in a later paper.     

Cores in random hypergraphs and Boolean formulas

We describe a technique for determining the thresholds for the appearance of cores in random structures. We use it to determine (i) the threshold for the appearance of a k‐core in a random r‐uniform hypergraph for all r, k ≥ 2, r + k > 4, and (ii) the threshold for the pure literal rule to find a satisfying assignment for a random instance of r‐SAT, r ≥ 3. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2005     

A sphere in a second degree polynomial creeping flow parallel to a wall

Comprehensive results are provided for the creeping flow arounda spherical particle in a viscous fluid close to a plane wall,when the external velocity is parallel to the wall and variesas a second degree polynomial in the coordinates. By linearityof Stokes equations, the solution is a sum of flows for typicalunperturbed flows: a pure shear flow, a ‘modulated shearflow’, for which the rate of shear varies linearly inthe direction normal to the wall, and a quadratic flow. Solutionsconsidered here use the bipolar coordinates technique. Theycomplement the accurate results of Chaoui and Feuillebois (2003)for the pure shear flow. The solution of Goren and O'Neill (1971)for the quadratic flow is reconsidered and a new analyticalsolution is derived for the ambient modulated shear flow. Theperturbed flow fields for these two cases are presented in detailand discussed. Results for the force and torque friction factorsare provided with a 5 x 10^–17 accuracy as a reference.For the quadratic flow, there is a force and a torque on a fixedsphere. A minimum value of the torque is found for a gap ofabout 0·18a, where a is the sphere radius. This minimumis interpreted in term of the corresponding flow structure.For the modulated shear flow, there is only a torque. The freemotion of a sphere in an ambient quadratic flow is also determined.     

Near invariance and kernels of Toeplitz operators

This paper makes a systematic study of kernels of Toeplitz operators on scalar and vector-valued H _p spaces (for 1 < p < ∞). The property of near invariance of a kernel for the backward shift is analysed and shown to hold in increased generality. In the scalar case, and in some vectorial cases, the existence of a minimal kernel containing a given function is established, and a symbol for a corresponding Toeplitz operator is determined; thus, for rational symbols, its dimension can be easily calculated. It is shown that every Toeplitz kernel in H _p is the minimal kernel for some function lying in it.     

Exhausters af a positively homogeneous function *

Notions of upper exhauster and lower exhauster of a positively homogeneous (of the first degree) function h: ? ⁿ →? are introduced. They are linked to exhaustive families of upper convex and lower concave approximations of the function h. The pair of an upper exhauster and a lower exhauster is called a biexhauster of h. A calculus for biexhausters is described (in particular, a composition theorem is formulated). The problem of minimality of exhausters is stated. Necessary and sufficient conditions for a constrained minimum and a constrained maximum of a directionally differentiable function f: ? ⁿ →? are formulated in terms of exhausters of the directional derivative of f. In general, they are described by means of exhausters of the Hadamard upper and lower directional derivatives of the function f. To formulate conditions for a minimum, an upper exhauster is employed while conditions for a maximum are formulated via a lower exhauster of the respective directional derivative (the Hadamard lower derivative for a minimum and the Hadamard upper derivative for a maximum).

If a point x _o is not stationary then directions of steepest ascent and descent can also be calculated by means of exhausters.     

Complex Hadamard matrices

R. J. Turyn introduced complex Hadamard matrices and showed that if there is a complex Hadamard matrix of order c and a real Hadamard matrix of order h> > 1, then there is a real Hadamard matrix of order he. Previously, complex Hadamard matrices were only known for a few small orders and the orders for which symmetric conference matrices were known. These latter are known only to exist for orders which can be written as 1+a² +b² where a, b are integers. We give many constructions for new infinite classes of complex Hadamard matrices and show that they exist for orders 306,650, 870,1406,2450 and 3782: for the orders 650, 870, 2450 and 3782, a symmetric conference matrix cannot exist.     

The Logical vs. the Ontological Understanding of Conditions

According to the truth-functional analysis of conditions, to be ‘necessary for’ and ‘sufficient for’ are converse relations. From this, it follows that to be ‘necessary and sufficient for’ is a symmetric relation, that is, that if P is a necessary and sufficient condition for Q, then Q is a necessary and sufficient condition for P. This view is contrary to common sense. In this paper, I point out that it is also contrary to a widely accepted ontological view of conditions, according to which if P is a necessary and sufficient condition for Q, then Q is in no sense a condition for P; it is a mere consequence of P.     

Tensor factorization and Spin construction for Kac-Moody algebras

In this paper we discuss the “Factorization phenomenon” which occurs when a representation of a Lie algebra is restricted to a subalgebra, and the result factors into a tensor product of smaller representations of the subalgebra. We analyze this phenomenon for symmetrizable Kac-Moody algebras (including finite-dimensional, semi-simple Lie algebras). We present a few factorization results for a general embedding of a symmetrizable Kac-Moody algebra into another and provide an algebraic explanation for such a phenomenon using Spin construction. We also give some application of these results for semi-simple, finite-dimensional Lie algebras.We extend the notion of Spin functor from finite-dimensional to symmetrizable Kac-Moody algebras, which requires a very delicate treatment. We introduce a certain category of orthogonal g-representations for which, surprisingly, the Spin functor gives a g-representation in Bernstein-Gelfand-Gelfand category O. Also, for an integrable representation, Spin produces an integrable representation. We give the formula for the character of Spin representation for the above category and work out the factorization results for an embedding of a finite-dimensional, semi-simple Lie algebra into its untwisted affine Lie algebra. Finally, we discuss the classification of those representations for which Spin is irreducible.     

Mixed multiplicities and the minimal number of generator of modules

Let (R,m) be a d-dimensional Noetherian local ring. In this work we prove that the mixed Buchsbaum-Rim multiplicity for a finite family of R-submodules of R^p of finite colength coincides with the Buchsbaum-Rim multiplicity of the module generated by a suitable superficial sequence, that is, we generalize for modules the well-known Risler-Teissier theorem. As a consequence, we give a new proof of a generalization for modules of the fundamental Rees’ mixed multiplicity theorem, which was first proved by Kirby and Rees in (1994, [8]). We use the above result to give an upper bound for the minimal number of generators of a finite colength R-submodule of R^p in terms of mixed multiplicities for modules, which generalize a similar bound obtained by Cruz and Verma in (2000, [5]) for m-primary ideals.     

Ramsey Functions for Quasi-Progressions

 A quasi-progression of diameter n is a finite sequence for which there exists a positive integer L such that for . Let be the least positive integer such that every 2-coloring of will contain a monochromatic k-term quasi-progression of diameter n. We give a lower bound for in terms of k and i that holds for all . Upper bounds are obtained for in all cases for which . In particular, we show that . Exact formulae are found for and . We include a table of computer-generated values of , and make several conjectures. Received: September 22, 1995 / Revised: February 28, 1997     

Genus polynomials and crosscap‐number polynomials for ring‐like graphs

An H‐linear graph is obtained by transforming a collection of copies of a fixed graph H into a chain. An H‐ring‐like graph is formed by binding the two end‐copies of H in such a chain to each other. Genus polynomials have been calculated for bindings of several kinds. In this paper, we substantially generalize the rules for constructing sequences of H‐ring‐like graphs from sequences of H‐linear graphs, and we give a general method for obtaining a recursion for the genus polynomials of the graphs in a sequence of ring‐like graphs. We use Chebyshev polynomials to obtain explicit formulas for the genus polynomials of several such sequences. We also give methods for obtaining recursions for partial genus polynomials and for crosscap‐number polynomials of a bar‐ring of a sequence of disjoint graphs.     

Random change on a Lie group and mean glaucomatous projective shape change detection from stereo pair images

In this article we develop a nonparametric methodology for estimating the mean change for matched samples on a Lie group. We then notice that for k≥5, a manifold of projective shapes of k-ads in 3D has the structure of a 3k−15 dimensional Lie group that is equivariantly embedded in a Euclidean space, therefore testing for mean change amounts to a one sample test for extrinsic means on this Lie group. The Lie group technique leads to a large sample and a nonparametric bootstrap test for one population extrinsic mean on a projective shape space, as recently developed by Patrangenaru, Liu and Sughatadasa. On the other hand, in the absence of occlusions, the 3D projective shape of a spatial k-ad can be recovered from a stereo pair of images, thus allowing one to test for mean glaucomatous 3D projective shape change detection from standard stereo pair eye images.     

The 2/3-Convergence Rate for the Poisson Bracket

In this paper we introduce a new method for approaching the C ⁰-rigidity results for the Poisson bracket. Using this method, we provide a different proof for the lower semi-continuity under C ⁰ perturbations, for the uniform norm of the Poisson bracket. We find the precise rate for the modulus of the semi-continuity. This extends the previous results of Cardin–Viterbo, Zapolsky, Entov and Polterovich. Using our method, we prove a C ⁰-rigidity result in the spirit of the work of Humilière. We also discuss a general question of the C ⁰-rigidity for multilinear differential operators.     

Thermal fracture of functionally gradient ceramics

An edge crack in a strip of functionally gradient ceramics (FGC) is studied under thermal loading conditions. Two FGC materials are considered, i.e., one with a spatial variation of shear modulus and the other with a spatial variation of thermal conductivity. Thermal stress intensity factors (TSIF) are numerically calculated based on singular integral equations derived for the dislocation density along the crack faces. It is shown that: (a) for the FGC with a graded shear modulus, the TSIF are reduced for crack lengths longer thanl _c b and remain approximately the same as those of a homogeneous material for shorter crack lengths, wherel _c is about 0.065 andb is the width of the strip; and (b) for the FGC with a thermal conductivity gradient, the TSIF are generally lower compared with those for the bonded two-layer material.     

On the validity of the Ginzburg-Landau equation

Summary The famous Ginzburg-Landau equation describes nonlinear amplitude modulations of a wave perturbation of a basic pattern when a control parameterR lies in the unstable regionO(ε ²) away from the critical valueR _c for which the system loses stability. Hereε>0 is a small parameter. G-L's equation is found for a general class of nonlinear evolution problems including several classical problems from hydrodynamics and other fields of physics and chemistry. Up to now, the rigorous derivation of G-L's equation for general situations is not yet completed. This was only demonstrated for special types of solutions (steady, time periodic) or for special problems (the Swift-Hohenberg equation). Here a mathematically rigorous proof of the validity of G-L's equation is given for a general situation of one space variable and a quadratic nonlinearity. Validity is meant in the following sense. For each given initial condition in a suitable Banach space there exists a unique bounded solution of the initial value problem for G-L's equation on a finite interval of theO(1/ε²)-long time scale intrinsic to the modulation. For such a finite time interval of the intrinsic modulation time scale on which the initial value problem for G-L's equation has a bounded solution, the initial value problem for the original evolution equation with corresponding initial conditions, has a unique solutionO(ε²) — close to the approximation induced by the solution of G-L's equation. This property guarantees that, for rather general initial conditions on the intrinsic modulation time scale, the behavior of solutions of G-L's equation is really inherited from solutions of the original problem, and the other way around: to a solution of G-L's equation corresponds a nearby exact solution with a relatively small error.     

Efficient Recognition of Totally Nonnegative Matrix Cells

The space of m×p totally nonnegative real matrices has a stratification into totally nonnegative cells. The largest such cell is the space of totally positive matrices. There is a well-known criterion due to Gasca and Peña for testing a real matrix for total positivity. This criterion involves testing mp minors. In contrast, there is no known small set of minors for testing for total nonnegativity. In this paper, we show that for each of the totally nonnegative cells there is a test for membership which only involves mp minors, thus extending the Gasca and Peña result to all totally nonnegative cells.     

On the threshold for k-regular subgraphs of random graphs

The k-core of a graph is the largest subgraph of minimum degree at least k. We show that for k sufficiently large, the threshold for the appearance of a k-regular subgraph in the Erdős-Rényi random graph model G(n,p) is at most the threshold for the appearance of a nonempty (k+2)-core. In particular, this pins down the point of appearance of a k-regular subgraph to a window for p of width roughly 2/n for large n and moderately large k. The result is proved by using Tutte’s necessary and sufficient condition for a graph to have a k-factor.     

Reflected Brownian motion in the quadrant: tail behavior of the stationary distribution

Let Z be a two-dimensional Brownian motion confined to the non-negative quadrant by oblique reflection at the boundary. Such processes arise in applied probability as diffusion approximations for two-station queueing networks. The parameters of Z are a drift vector, a covariance matrix, and a “direction of reflection” for each of the quadrant’s two boundary rays. Necessary and sufficient conditions are known for Z to be a positive recurrent semimartingale, and they are the only restrictions imposed on the process data in our study. Under those assumptions, a large deviations principle (LDP) is conjectured for the stationary distribution of Z, and we recapitulate the cases for which it has been rigorously justified. For sufficiently regular sets B, the LDP says that the stationary probability of xB decays exponentially as x→∞, and the asymptotic decay rate is the minimum value achieved by a certain function I(?) over the set B. Avram, Dai and Hasenbein  (Queueing Syst.: Theory Appl. 37, 259–289, 2001) provided a complete and explicit solution for the large deviations rate function I(?). In this paper we re-express their solution in a simplified form, showing along the way that the computation of I(?) reduces to a relatively simple problem of least-cost travel between a point and a line.