On sets having finitely many points of local nonconvexity and propertyP m

If a pointq ofS has the property that each neighborhood ofq contains pointsx andy such that the segmentxy is not contained byS, q is called a point of local nonconvexity ofS. LetQ denote the set of points of local nonconvexity ofS. Tietze’s well known theorem that a closed connected setS in a linear topological space is convex ifQ=φ is generalized in the result:If S is a closed set in a linear topological space such that S ∼ Q is connected and |Q|=n<∞,then S is the union of n+1or fewer closed convex sets. Letk be the minimal number of convex sets needed in a convex covering ofS. Bounds fork in terms ofm andn are obtained for sets having propertyP _m and |Q|=n.     

On the Location of the Maximum Stirling Number(s) of the Second Kind

Let S(n, k) denote Stirling numbers of the second kind, and K_n be the integer(s) such that S(n, K_n) ? S(n, k) for all k. We determine the value(s) of K_n to within a maximum error of 1.     

Polynomial interpolation and sums of powers of integers

In this note, we revisit the problem of polynomial interpolation and explicitly construct two polynomials in n of degree k + 1, P_k(n) and Q_k(n), such that P_k(n) = Q_k(n) = f_k(n) for n = 1, 2,…?, k, where f_k(1), f_k(2),…?, f_k(k) are k arbitrarily chosen (real or complex) values. Then, we focus on the case that f_k(n) is given by the sum of powers of the first n positive integers S_k(n) = 1^k + 2^k + ??? + n^k, and show that S_k(n) admits the polynomial representations S_k(n) = P_k(n) and S_k(n) = Q_k(n) for all n = 1, 2,…?, and k ≥ 1, where the first representation involves the Eulerian numbers, and the second one the Stirling numbers of the second kind. Finally, we consider yet another polynomial formula for S_k(n) alternative to the well-known formula of Bernoulli.     

Order and chaos in Hofstadter's Q(n) sequence

A number of observations are made on Hofstadter's integer sequence defined by Q(n) = Q(n − Q(n − 1)) + Q(n − Q(n − 2)), for n > 2, and Q(1) = Q(2) = 1. On short scales, the sequence looks chaotic. It turns out, however, that the Q(n) can be grouped into a sequence of generations. The k‐th generation has 2^k members that have “parents” mostly in generation k − 1 and a few from generation k − 2. In this sense, the sequence becomes Fibonacci type on a logarithmic scale. The variance of S(n) = Q(n) − n/2, averaged over generations, is ≅2^αk, with exponent α = 0.88(1). The probability distribution p*(x) of x = R(n) = S(n)/n^α, n ≫ 1, is well defined and strongly non‐Gaussian, with tails well described by the error function erfc. The probability distribution of x_m = R(n) − R(n − m) is given by p_m(x_m) = λ_m p*(x_m/λ_m), with λ_m → √2 for large m. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Homotopy of Non-Modular Partitions and the Whitehouse Module

We present a class of subposets of the partition lattice _n with the following property: The order complex is homotopy equivalent to the order complex of _n – 1, and the S _n -module structure of the homology coincides with a recently discovered lifting of the S _n – 1-action on the homology of _n – 1. This is the Whitehouse representation on Robinson's space of fully-grown trees, and has also appeared in work of Getzler and Kapranov, Mathieu, Hanlon and Stanley, and Babson et al.One example is the subposet P _n ⁿ – 1 of the lattice of set partitions _n , obtained by removing all elements with a unique nontrivial block. More generally, for 2 k n – 1, let Q _n ^k denote the subposet of the partition lattice _n obtained by removing all elements with a unique nontrivial block of size equal to k, and let P _n ^k = _{i = 2} ^k Q _n ⁱ . We show that P _n ^k is Cohen-Macaulay, and that P _n ^k and Q _n ^k are both homotopy equivalent to a wedge of spheres of dimension (n – 4), with Betti number . The posets Q _n ^k are neither shellable nor Cohen-Macaulay. We show that the S _n -module structure of the homology generalises the Whitehouse module in a simple way.We also present a short proof of the well-known result that rank-selection in a poset preserves the Cohen-Macaulay property.     

On Schur's Q-functions and the Primitive Idempotents of a Commutative Hecke Algebra

Let B _n denote the centralizer of a fixed-point free involution in the symmetric group S _2n . Each of the four one-dimensional representations of B _n induces a multiplicity-free representation of S _2n , and thus the corresponding Hecke algebra is commutative in each case. We prove that in two of the cases, the primitive idempotents can be obtained from the power-sum expansion of Schur's Q-functions, from which follows the surprising corollary that the character tables of these two Hecke algebras are, aside from scalar multiples, the same as the nontrivial part of the character table of the spin representations of S _n.     

An ergodic result for the limit of a sequence of substochastic products xA 1…Ak

Let P and Q be n × n nonnegativc matrices with PQ. Let w be an n-dimensional nonnegaiive vector and set S_k (u) = {uA ₁ … A_k over all substochastic A ₁ with P  A ₁  Q for all i} This paper gives conditions under which the sequence S ₁(w)S ₂(w), has a limit set S. Further, these same conditions are sufficient to guarantee that if u and z are stochastic n-dimensional vectors then the sequences S ₁(w)S ₂(w),… and S ₁(z)S ₂(z),… have the same limit set. Hence, an ergodic type result is obtained for this limit.     

Distribution of exponential functions with k-full exponent modulo a prime

For a real x -1 we denote by S_k[X] the set of k-full integers n x, that is, the set of positive integers n x such that ℓ^k|n for any prime divisor ℓ|n. We estimate exponential sums of the form where is a fixed integer with gcd (, p) = 1, and apply them to studying the distribution of the powers ⁿ, n S_k[x], in the residue ring modulo p 1.     

On the lifting of elliptic cusp forms to cusp forms on quaternionic unitary groups

Let H be a definite quaternion algebra over Q with discriminant DH and R a maximal order of H. We denote by Gn a quaternionic unitary group and put Γn=Gn(Q)∩GL2n(R). Let Sκ(Γn) be the space of cusp forms of weight κ with respect to Γn on the quaternion half-space of degree n. We construct a lifting from primitive forms in Sk(SL₂(Z)) to Sk+2n−2(Γn) and a lifting from primitive forms in Sk(Γ₀(d)) to Sk+2(Γ₂), where d is a factor of DH. These liftings are generalizations of the Maass lifting investigated by Krieg.     

Large spaces of symmetric matrices of bounded rank are decomposable ∗

Let k and n be positive integers such that kn. Let S_n (F) denote the space of all n×n symmetric matrices over the field F with char F≠2. A subspace L of S_n (F) is said to be a k-subspace if rank Ak for every A?L.

Now suppose that k is even, and write k=2r. We say a k∥-subspace of S_n (F) is decomposable if there exists in Fⁿ a subspace W of dimension n?r such that x^tAx=0 for every x?W A?L.

We show here, under some mild assumptions on k n and F, that every k∥-subspace of S_n (F) of sufficiently large dimension must be decomposable. This is an analogue of a result obtained by Atkinson and Lloyd for corresponding subspaces of F^m,n .     

On the number of cycles of given length of a free word in several random permutations

Let w ≠ 1 be a free word in the symbols g₁,…, g_k and their inverses (i.e., an element of the free group F_k). For any s₁,…, s_k, in the group s_n of all permutation of n objects, we denote by w(s₁,…,s_k) ? S_n the permutation obtained by replacing g₁,…, g_k with s₁,…, s_k in the expression of w. Let X (s₁,…, s_k) denote the number of cycles of length L of w(s₁,…, s_k). For fixed w and L, we show that X, viewed as a random variable on S_n^k, has (for n →∞) a Poisson-type limit distribution, which can be computed precisely. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On reducibility of n-ary quasigroups

An n-ary operation Q:Σⁿ→Σ is called an n-ary quasigroup of order |Σ| if in the relation x₀=Q(x₁,…,x_n) knowledge of any n elements of x₀,…,x_n uniquely specifies the remaining one. Q is permutably reducible if Q(x₁,…,x_n)=P(R(x_σ(1),…,x_σ(k)),x_σ(k+1),…,x_σ(n)) where P and R are (n-k+1)-ary and k-ary quasigroups, σ is a permutation, and 1<k<n. An m-ary quasigroup S is called a retract of Q if it can be obtained from Q or one of its inverses by fixing n-m>0 arguments. We prove that if the maximum arity of a permutably irreducible retract of an n-ary quasigroup Q belongs to {3,…,n-3}, then Q is permutably reducible.     

On quadrilaterals in layers of the cube and extremal problems for directed and oriented graphs

Erdős has conjectured that every subgraph of the n‐cube Q_n having more than (1/2 + o(1))e(Q_n) edges will contain a 4‐cycle. In this note we consider ‘layer’ graphs, namely, subgraphs of the cube spanned by the subsets of sizes k − 1, k and k + 1, where we are thinking of the vertices of Q_n as being the power set of {1,…, n}. Observe that every 4‐cycle in Q_n lies in some layer graph. We investigate the maximum density of 4‐cycle free subgraphs of layer graphs, principally the case k = 2. The questions that arise in this case are equivalent to natural questions in the extremal theory of directed and undirected graphs. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 33: 66–82, 2000     

Gli scorrimenti nella Geometria non euclidea degli iperspazi ed alcune notevoli corrispondenze proiettive

Sunto Vengon studiati e completamente determinati i seguenti tipi di corrispondenze proiettive non singolari fraS _n sovrapposti (con applicazioni alla Geometria non euclidea diS _n): omografie diS _n per cui due punti omologhi qualunque sono congiunti da una retta unita; reciprocità non involutorie diS _n che posseggono un'unica quadrica d'incidenza; omografie diS _n che trasformano una quadrica Q in una quadricaQ′ (eventualmente coincidente collaQ), associando fra loro punti diQ, Q′ congiunti da rette in essi tangenti a tali quadriche. Questa Memoria costituisce un capitolo del Corso diComplementi di Geometria, che sto svolgendo presso la R. Università di Bologna come introduzione alla Geometria superiore. Analoga origine didattica ha la NotaSui gruppi di S_k associati di un S_r (? Rendic. R. Acc. delle Scienze di Bologna ?, Adunanza 12 novembre 1933), in cui estendo agli spazi superiori la nozione e le principali proprietà concernenti le quintuple di piani associati diS ₄.     

Platonic surfaces

If S _O is a Riemann surface with a complete metric of finite area and constant curvature -1, let S _C denote the conformal compactification of S _O. We show that, under the assumption that the cusps of S _O are large, there is a close relationship between the hyperbolic metrics on S _O and S _C. We use this relationship to show that , where the Platonic surface P _k is the conformal compactification of the modular surface S _k. Received: November, 1996; revised: February, 1998     

On a problem of rota

Let S(n, k) denote Stirling numbers of the second kind; for each n, let K_n be such that S(n, K_n) ? S(n, k) for all k. Also, let P(n) denote the lattice of partitions of an n-element set. Say that a collection of partitions from P(n) is incomparable if no two are related by refinement. Rota has asked if for all n, the largest possible incomparable collection in P(n) contains S(n, K_n) partitions. In this paper, we construct for all n sufficiently large an incomparable collection in P(n) containing strictly more than S(n, K_n) partitions. We also estimate how large n must be for this construction to work.     

On free semilattice-ordered semigroups satisfying x n =x

Let B(k,0,n) denote the group with k generators which is free in the group variety defined by the identity x ⁿ =1. Let B _slo (k,1,n) denote the semilattice-ordered semigroup with k generators which is free in the semilattice-ordered semigroup variety defined by the identity x ⁿ =x. We prove a generalization of the Green-Rees theorem: B _slo (k,1,n) is finite for all k≥1 if and only if B(k,0,n−1) is finite for all k≥1. We find a formula for card(B _slo (1,1,n)). We construct B _slo (k,1,n) for some concrete values of k and n.     

A Ramsey‐type result for the hypercube

We prove that for every fixed k and ? ≥ 5 and for sufficiently large n, every edge coloring of the hypercube Q_n with k colors contains a monochromatic cycle of length 2 ?. This answers an open question of Chung. Our techniques provide also a characterization of all subgraphs H of the hypercube which are Ramsey, that is, have the property that for every k, any k‐edge coloring of a sufficiently large Q_n contains a monochromatic copy of H. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 53: 196–208, 2006     

Points of increase for random walks

Say that a sequenceS ₀, ..., S_n has a (global) point of increase atk ifS _k is maximal amongS ₀, ..., S_k and minimal amongS _k, ..., S_n. We give an elementary proof that ann-step symmetric random walk on the line has a (global) point of increase with probability comparable to 1/logn. (No moment assumptions are needed.) This implies the classical fact, due to Dvoretzky, Erdős and Kakutani (1961), that Brownian motion has no points of increase. Research partially supported by NSF grant # DMS-9404391.     

Q-operator and factorised separation chain for Jack polynomials

Applying Baxter's method of the Q-operator to the set of Sekiguchi's commuting partial differential operators we show that Jack polynomials P_λ^(1/g) (χ₁, …, χ_n) …, χ_n) are eigenfunctions of a one-parameter family of integral operators Q_z. The operators Q_z are expressed in terms of the Dirichlet-Liouville n-dimensional beta integral. From a composition of n operators Q_zk we construct an integral operator S_n factorising Jack polynomials into products of hypergeometric polynomials of one variable. The operator S_n admits a factorisation described in terms of restricted Jack polynomials P_λ^(1/g) (x₁, …, x_k, 1, … 1). Using the operator Q_z for z = 0 we give a simple derivation of a previously known integral representation for Jack polynomials.