Sampling to provide or to bound: With applications to fully dynamic graph algorithms

In dynamic graph algorithms the following provide-or-bound problem has to be solved quickly: Given a set S containing a subset R and a way of generating random elements from S testing for membership in R, either (i) provide an element of R, or (ii) give a (small) upper bound on the size of R that holds with high probability. We give an optimal algorithm for this problem. This algorithm improves the time per operation for various dynamic graph algorithms by a factor of O(log n). For example, it improves the time per update for fully dynamic connectivity from O(log³n) to O(log²n). © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 11 , 369–379 (1997)     

Homomorphisms to oriented cycles

We discuss the existence of homomorphisms to oriented cycles and give, for a special class of cyclesC, a characterization of those digraphs that admit, a homomorphism toC. Our result can be used to prove the multiplicativity of a certain class of oriented cycles, (and thus complete the characterization of multiplicative oriented cycles), as well as to prove the membership of the corresponding decision problem in the classNPcoNP. We also mention a conjecture on the existence of homomorphisms to arbitrary oriented cycles.     

From U-bounds to isoperimetry with applications to H-type groups

In this paper we study U-bounds in relation to L₁-type coercive inequalities and isoperimetric problems for a class of probability measures on a general metric space (RN,d). We prove the equivalence of an isoperimetric inequality with several other coercive inequalities in this general framework. The usefulness of our approach is illustrated by an application to the setting of H-type groups, and an extension to infinite dimensions.     

Strategic commitment to price to stimulate downstream innovation in a supply chain

It is generally in a firm’s interest for its supply chain partners to invest in innovations. To the extent that these innovations either reduce the partners’ variable costs or stimulate demand for the end product, they will tend to lead to higher levels of output for all of the firms in the chain. However, in response to the innovations of its partners, a firm may have an incentive to opportunistically increase its own prices. The possibility of such opportunistic behavior creates a hold-up problem that leads supply chain partners to underinvest in innovation. Clearly, this hold-up problem could be eliminated by a pre-commitment to price. However, by making an advance commitment to price, a firm sacrifices an important means of responding to demand uncertainty. In this paper we examine the trade-off that is faced when a firm’s channel partner has opportunities to invest in either cost reduction or quality improvement, i.e. demand enhancement. Should it commit to a price in order to encourage innovation, or should it remain flexible in order to respond to demand uncertainty. We discuss several simple wholesale pricing mechanisms with respect to this trade-off.     

Sufficient conditions for open manifolds to be diffeomorphic to Euclidean spaces

Let M be a complete non-compact connected Riemannian n-dimensional manifold. We first prove that, for any fixed point p∈M, the radial Ricci curvature of M at p is bounded from below by the radial curvature function of some non-compact n-dimensional model. Moreover, we then prove, without the pointed Gromov-Hausdorff convergence theory, that, if model volume growth is sufficiently close to 1, then M is diffeomorphic to Euclidean n-dimensional space. Hence, our main theorem has various advantages of the Cheeger-Colding diffeomorphism theorem via the Euclidean volume growth. Our main theorem also contains a result of do Carmo and Changyu as a special case.     

On Convergence to Infinity

 By a metric mode of convergence to infinity in a regular Hausdorff space X, we mean a sequence of closed subsets of X with and , and a sequence (or net) in X is convergent to infinity with respect to provided for each contains eventually. Modulo a natural equivalence relation, these correspond to one-point extensions of the space with a countable base at the ideal point, and in the metrizable setting, they correspond to metric boundedness structures for the space. In this article, we study the interplay between these objects and certain continuous functions that may determine the metric mode of convergence to infinity, called forcing functions. Falling out of our results is a simple proof that each noncompact metrizable space admits uncountably many distinct metric uniformities. (Received 2 March 1999)     

Lower bounds to helly numbers of line transversals to disjoint congruent balls

A line ℓ is a transversal to a family F of convex objects in ℝ ^d if it intersects every member of F. In this paper we show that for every integer d ⩾ 3 there exists a family of 2d−1 pairwise disjoint unit balls in ℝ ^d with the property that every subfamily of size 2d − 2 admits a transversal, yet any line misses at least one member of the family. This answers a question of Danzer from 1957. Crucial to the proof is the notion of a pinned transversal, which means an isolated point in the space of transversals. Here we investigate minimal pinning configurations and construct a family F of 2d−1 disjoint unit balls in ℝ ^d with the following properties: (i) The space of transversals to F is a single point and (ii) the space of transversals to any proper subfamily of F is a connected set with non-empty interior.     

Adjustment to Lancaster's Mid-P

Lancaster's mid-P is increasingly accepted as an adjustment for the P-value when an integer-valued test statistic W is used (as in Fisher's Exact Test), and is recommended for quoting as a measure of significance with the actual P-value. On the basis of distributional properties of the mid-P which resemble those of a P-value of a continuous test statistic, we propose a further adjustment. This gives a significance value h(w) when W=w is observed, such that and Eh(W)=1/2 and Varh(W)=1/12. A computational algorithm to produce h(w) is suggested. Symmetry of the distribution of W is shown to provide substantial simplification. The numerical procedures are illustrated on 3 examples (2 from real life) to which Fisher's Exact Test is applied. The results are compared with an unconditional test in a concluding section.     

A numerical approach to variational problems subject to convexity constraint

Summary. We describe an algorithm to approximate the minimizer of an elliptic functional in the form on the set of convex functions u in an appropriate functional space X. Such problems arise for instance in mathematical economics [4]. A special case gives the convex envelope of a given function . Let be any quasiuniform sequence of meshes whose diameter goes to zero, and the corresponding affine interpolation operators. We prove that the minimizer over is the limit of the sequence , where minimizes the functional over . We give an implementable characterization of . Then the finite dimensional problem turns out to be a minimization problem with linear constraints. Received November 24, 1999 / Published online October 16, 2000     

Asymptotically extremal polynomials with respect to varying weights and application to Sobolev orthogonality

We study the asymptotic behavior of the zeros of a sequence of polynomials whose weighted norms, with respect to a sequence of weight functions, have the same nth root asymptotic behavior as the weighted norms of certain extremal polynomials. This result is applied to obtain the (contracted) weak zero distribution for orthogonal polynomials with respect to a Sobolev inner product with exponential weights of the form e−φ(x), giving a unified treatment for the so-called Freud (i.e., when φ has polynomial growth at infinity) and Erdös (when φ grows faster than any polynomial at infinity) cases. In addition, we provide a new proof for the bound of the distance of the zeros to the convex hull of the support for these Sobolev orthogonal polynomials.     

On Convergence to Infinity

 By a metric mode of convergence to infinity in a regular Hausdorff space X, we mean a sequence of closed subsets of X with and , and a sequence (or net) in X is convergent to infinity with respect to provided for each contains eventually. Modulo a natural equivalence relation, these correspond to one-point extensions of the space with a countable base at the ideal point, and in the metrizable setting, they correspond to metric boundedness structures for the space. In this article, we study the interplay between these objects and certain continuous functions that may determine the metric mode of convergence to infinity, called forcing functions. Falling out of our results is a simple proof that each noncompact metrizable space admits uncountably many distinct metric uniformities.     

Reducing slip boundary value problems from the half to the whole space. Applications to inviscid limits and to non-Newtonian fluids

The study of a very large class of linear and non-linear, stationary and evolutive partial differential problems in the half-space (or similar) under the slip boundary condition is reduced here to the much simpler study of the corresponding results for the same problem in the whole space. The approach is particularly suitable for proving new results in strong norms. To determine whether this extension is available, turns out to be a simple exercise. The verification depends on a few general features of the functional space X related to the space variables. Hence, we present an approach as much as possible independent of the particular space X. We appeal to a reflection technique. Hence a crucial assumption is to be in the presence of flat boundaries (see below). Instead of stating “general theorems” we rather prefer to illustrate how to apply our results by considering a couple of interesting problems. As a main example, we show that sharp vanishing viscosity limit results that hold for the evolution Navier-Stokes equations in the whole space can be extended to the slip boundary value problem in the half-space. We also show some applications to non-Newtonian fluid problems.     

Paths extendable to cycles

Let k be a positive integer, and S a nonempty set of positive integers. Suppose that G is a connected graph containing a path of length k, and that each path P of length k in G is contained in some cycle C(P) of length s ∈ S. We prove that every path of length less than k can be extended to a path of length k in G. This result answers conjectures of Entringer and Reid regarding when certain paths may be extended to cycles.     

Generalized Solutions to Semilinear Elliptic PDE with Applications to the Lichnerowicz Equation

In this article we investigate the existence of a solution to a semi-linear, elliptic, partial differential equation with distributional coefficients and data. The problem we consider is a generalization of the Lichnerowicz equation that one encounters in studying the constraint equations in general relativity. Our method for solving this problem consists of solving a net of regularized, semi-linear problems with data obtained by smoothing the original, distributional coefficients. In order to solve these regularized problems, we develop a priori L ^∞-bounds and sub- and super-solutions to apply a fixed point argument. We then show that the net of solutions obtained through this process satisfies certain decay estimates by determining estimates for the sub- and super-solutions and utilizing classical, a priori elliptic estimates. The estimates for this net of solutions allow us to regard this collection of functions as a solution in a Colombeau-type algebra. We motivate this Colombeau algebra framework by first solving an ill-posed critical exponent problem. To solve this ill-posed problem, we use a collection of smooth, “approximating” problems and then use the resulting sequence of solutions and a compactness argument to obtain a solution to the original problem. This approach is modeled after the more general Colombeau framework that we develop, and it conveys the potential that solutions in these abstract spaces have for obtaining classical solutions to ill-posed non-linear problems with irregular data.     

Coupling leads to chaos

The main goal of this paper is to prove analytically the existence of strange attractors in a family of vector fields consisting of two Brusselators linearly coupled by diffusion. We will show that such a family contains a generic unfolding of a 4-dimensional nilpotent singularity of codimension 4. On the other hand, we will prove that in any generic unfolding Xμ of an n-dimensional nilpotent singularity of codimension n there are bifurcation curves of (n−1)-dimensional nilpotent singularities of codimension n−1 which are in turn generically unfolded by Xμ. Arguments conclude recalling that any generic unfolding of the 3-dimensional nilpotent singularity of codimension 3 exhibits strange attractors.     

From Gumbel to Tracy-Widom

The Tracy-Widom distribution that has been much studied in recent years can be thought of as an extreme value distribution. We discuss interpolation between the classical extreme value distribution exp( ? exp( ? x)), the Gumbel distribution, and the Tracy-Widom distribution. There is a family of determinantal processes whose edge behaviour interpolates between a Poisson process with density exp( ? x) and the Airy kernel point process. This process can be obtained as a scaling limit of a grand canonical version of a random matrix model introduced by Moshe, Neuberger and Shapiro. We also consider the deformed GUE ensemble, $M=M_0+\sqrt{2S} V$ , with M ₀ diagonal with independent elements and V from GUE. Here we do not see a transition from Tracy-Widom to Gumbel, but rather a transition from Tracy-Widom to Gaussian.