Symmetric functions,codes of partitions and the KP hierarchy

We consider an operator of Bernstein for symmetric functions and give an explicit formula for its action on an arbitrary Schur function. This formula is given in a remarkably simple form when written in terms of some notation based on the code of a partition. As an application, we give a new and very simple proof of a classical result for the KP hierarchy, which involves the Plücker relations for Schur function coefficients in a τ-function for the hierarchy. This proof is especially compact because we are able to restate the Plücker relations in a form that is symmetrical in terms of partition code notation.     

Polynomial Hierarchy, Betti Numbers, and a Real Analogue of Toda’s Theorem

Toda (in SIAM J. Comput. 20(5):865–877, 1991) proved in 1989 that the (discrete) polynomial time hierarchy, PH, is contained in the class P ^#P , namely the class of languages that can be decided by a Turing machine in polynomial time given access to an oracle with the power to compute a function in the counting complexity class #P. This result, which illustrates the power of counting, is considered to be a seminal result in computational complexity theory. An analogous result in the complexity theory over the reals (in the sense of Blum–Shub–Smale real machines in Bull. Am. Math. Soc. (NS) 21(1): 1–46, 1989) has been missing so far. In this paper we formulate and prove a real analogue of Toda’s theorem. Unlike Toda’s proof in the discrete case, which relied on sophisticated combinatorial arguments, our proof is topological in nature. As a consequence of our techniques, we are also able to relate the computational hardness of two extremely well-studied problems in algorithmic semi-algebraic geometry: the problem of deciding sentences in the first-order theory of the reals with a constant number of quantifier alternations, and that of computing Betti numbers of semi-algebraic sets. We obtain a polynomial time reduction of the compact version of the first problem to the second. This latter result may be of independent interest to researchers in algorithmic semi-algebraic geometry.     

Global Existence,Decay, and Blow up of Solutions of a Singular Nonlocal Viscoelastic Problem

In this work we consider a nonlinear hyperbolic one-dimensional viscoelastic nonlocal problem with a nonlocal boundary condition. We establish a blow up result for large initial data and a decay result for small enough initial data.     

Compatibility,Multi-brackets and Integrability of Systems of PDEs

We establish an efficient compatibility criterion for a system of generalized complete intersection type in terms of certain multi-brackets of differential operators. These multi-brackets generalize the higher Jacobi-Mayer brackets, important in the study of evolutionary equations and the integrability problem. We also calculate Spencer δ-cohomology of generalized complete intersections and evaluate the formal functional dimension of the solutions space. The results are used to establish new integration methods.     

Strong Normalizability of Typed Lambda-Calculi for Substructural Logics

The strong normalization theorem is uniformly proved for typed λ-calculi for a wide range of substructural logics with or without strong negation. We would like to thank the referees for their valuable comments and suggestions. This research was supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The second author is grateful to the Foundation for providing excellent working conditions and generous support of this research. This work was also supported by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) 20700015, 2008.     

Poisson convergence,in large deviations,for the superposition of independent point processes

For a small buffer queueing system fed by many flows of a large class of traffic processes we show the single server queue and associated sample paths behave as if fed by marked Poisson traffic in a large deviations limit. The timescale of events of interest tends to zero, so we study the log moment generating function as time tends to zero. The associated rate function depends only on the mean arrival rate and the moment generating function of the arrivals. These results are useful in estimating drop probabilities while studying the effect of small buffers on communication protocols. Research supported by EPSRC Grant GR/S86266/01.     

Uniform Convergence of Discrete Curvatures from Nets of Curvature Lines

We study discrete curvatures computed from nets of curvature lines on a given smooth surface and prove their uniform convergence to smooth principal curvatures. We provide explicit error bounds, with constants depending only on properties of the smooth limit surface and the shape regularity of the discrete net.     

The Poincaré series of divisorial valuations in the plane defines the topology of the set of divisors

With a plane curve singularity one associates a multi-index filtration on the ring of germs of functions of two variables defined by the orders of a function on irreducible components of the curve. The Poincaré series of this filtration turns out to coincide with the Alexander polynomial of the curve germ. For a finite set of divisorial valuations on the ring corresponding to some components of the exceptional divisor of a modification of the plane, in a previous paper there was obtained a formula for the Poincaré series of the corresponding multi-index filtration similar to the one associated with plane germs. Here we show that the Poincaré series of a set of divisorial valuations on the ring of germs of functions of two variables defines “the topology of the set of the divisors” in the sense that it defines the minimal resolution of this set up to combinatorial equivalence. For the plane curve singularity case, we also give a somewhat simpler proof of the statement by Yamamoto which shows that the Alexander polynomial is equivalent to the embedded topology.     

Hypercontractivity, Nash inequalities and subordination for classes of nonlinear semigroups

A suitable notion of hypercontractivity for a nonlinear semigroup {T _t } is shown to imply Nash-type inequalities for its generator H, provided a subhomogeneity property holds for the energy functional (u,Hu). We use this fact to prove that, for semigroups generated by operators of p-Laplacian-type, hypercontractivity implies ultracontractivity. Then we introduce the notion of subordinated nonlinear semigroups when the corresponding Bernstein function is f(x)=x ^α , and write an explicit formula for the associated generator. It is shown that hypercontractivity still holds for the subordinated semigroup and, hence, that Nash-type inequalities hold as well for the subordinated generator.     

Maximum Principle of Optimal Control of the Primitive Equations of the Ocean with Two Point Boundary State Constraint

We consider a class of stochastic impulse control problems of general stochastic processes i.e. not necessarily Markovian. Under fairly general conditions we establish existence of an optimal impulse control. We also prove existence of combined optimal stochastic and impulse control of a fairly general class of diffusions with random coefficients. Unlike, in the Markovian framework, we cannot apply quasi-variational inequalities techniques. We rather derive the main results using techniques involving reflected BSDEs and the Snell envelope.     

Lower Bounds for Dimensions of Sums of Sets

We study lower bounds for the Minkowski and Hausdorff dimensions of the algebraic sum E+K of two sets E,K⊂ℝ ^d .     

On the Existence of Optimal Unions of Subspaces for Data Modeling and Clustering

Given a set of vectors F={f ₁,…,f _m } in a Hilbert space H\mathcal {H}, and given a family C\mathcal {C} of closed subspaces of H\mathcal {H}, the subspace clustering problem consists in finding a union of subspaces in C\mathcal {C} that best approximates (is nearest to) the data F. This problem has applications to and connections with many areas of mathematics, computer science and engineering, such as Generalized Principal Component Analysis (GPCA), learning theory, compressed sensing, and sampling with finite rate of innovation. In this paper, we characterize families of subspaces C\mathcal {C} for which such a best approximation exists. In finite dimensions the characterization is in terms of the convex hull of an augmented set C⁺\mathcal {C}^{+}. In infinite dimensions, however, the characterization is in terms of a new but related notion; that of contact half-spaces. As an application, the existence of best approximations from π(G)-invariant families C\mathcal {C} of unitary representations of Abelian groups is derived.     

Regularity and Variationality of Solutions to Hamilton—Jacobi Equations. Part II: Variationality,Existence, Uniqueness

We formulate an Hamilton–Jacobi partial differential equation

Non-Walker Self-Dual Neutral Einstein Four-Manifolds of Petrov Type III

The local structure of the manifolds named in the title is described. Although curvature homogeneous, they are not, in general, locally homogeneous. Not all of them are Ricci-flat, which answers an existence question about type III Jordan-Osserman metrics, raised by Díaz-Ramos, García-Río and Vázquez-Lorenzo (J. Geom. Anal. 16, 39–52, 2006). Work begun during the author’s visit to the University of Santiago de Compostela, supported by Grant MTM2006-01432 (Spain).     

Local Geometry of Levi-Forms Associated with the Existence of Complex Submanifolds and the Minimality of Generic CR Manifolds

Let M be a generic CR manifold in \BbbC^m+d\Bbb{C}^{m+d} of codimension d, locally given as the common zero set of real-valued functions r ¹,…,r ^d . Given an integer δ=1,…,d, we find a necessary and sufficient condition for M to contain a real submanifold of codimension δ with the same CR structure. We also find a necessary and sufficient condition and several sufficient conditions for M to admit a complex submanifold of complex dimension n, for any n=1,…,m. We use the method of prolongation of an exterior differential system. The conditions are systems of partial differential equations on r ¹,…,r ^d of third order.     

Density of the polynomials in Hardy and Bergman spaces of slit domains

It is shown that for any t, 0<t<∞, there is a Jordan arc Γ with endpoints 0 and 1 such that G\{1} í \mathbbD:={z:|z| < 1}\Gamma\setminus\{1\}\subseteq\mathbb{D}:=\{z:|z|<1\} and with the property that the analytic polynomials are dense in the Bergman space \mathbbA^t(\mathbbD\G)\mathbb{A}^{t}(\mathbb{D}\setminus\Gamma) . It is also shown that one can go further in the Hardy space setting and find such a Γ that is in fact the graph of a continuous real-valued function on [0,1], where the polynomials are dense in H^t(\mathbbD\G)H^{t}(\mathbb{D}\setminus\Gamma) ; improving upon a result in an earlier paper.     

On the order of a non-abelian representation group of a slim dense near hexagon

In this paper we study the possible orders of a non-abelian representation group of a slim dense near hexagon. We prove that if the representation group R of a slim dense near hexagon S is non-abelian, then R is a 2-group of exponent 4 and |R|=2 ^β , 1+NPdim(S)≤β≤1+dimV(S), where NPdim(S) is the near polygon embedding dimension of S and dimV(S) is the dimension of the universal representation module V(S) of S. Further, if β=1+NPdim(S), then R is necessarily an extraspecial 2-group. In that case, we determine the type of the extraspecial 2-group in each case. We also deduce that the universal representation group of S is a central product of an extraspecial 2-group and an abelian 2-group of exponent at most 4. This work was partially done when B.K. Sahoo was a Research Fellow at the Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore Center with NBHM fellowship, DAE Grant 39/3/2000-R&D-II, Govt. of India.     

Log-convexity properties of Schur functions and generalized hypergeometric functions of matrix argument

We establish a positivity property for the difference of products of certain Schur functions, s _λ (x), where λ varies over a fundamental Weyl chamber in ? ⁿ and x belongs to the positive orthant in ? ⁿ . Further, we generalize that result to the difference of certain products of arbitrary numbers of Schur functions. We also derive a log-convexity property of the generalized hypergeometric functions of two Hermitian matrix arguments, and we show how that result may be extended to derive higher-order log-convexity properties.     

The Intrinsic Diameter of the Surface of a Parallelepiped

In the paper we obtain an explicit formula for the intrinsic diameter of the surface of a rectangular parallelepiped in 3-dimensional Euclidean space. As a consequence, we prove that an parallelepiped with relation for its edge lengths has maximal surface area among all rectangular parallelepipeds with given intrinsic diameter.     

Magnetically-Induced Buckling of a Whirling Conducting Rod with Applications to Electrodynamic Space Tethers

We study the effect of a magnetic field on the behaviour of a slender conducting elastic structure, motivated by stability problems of electrodynamic space tethers. Both static (buckling) and dynamic (whirling) instability are considered and we also compute post-buckling configurations. The equations used are the geometrically exact Kirchhoff equations. Magnetic buckling of a welded rod is found to be described by a surprisingly degenerate bifurcation, which is unfolded when both transverse anisotropy of the rod and angular velocity are considered. By solving the linearised equations about the (quasi-) stationary solutions, we find various secondary instabilities. Our results are relevant for current designs of electrodynamic space tethers and potentially for future applications in nano- and molecular wires.