Linear Orders on General Algebras

We answer the question, when a partial order in a partially ordered algebraic structure has a compatible linear extension. The finite extension property enables us to show, that if there is no such extension, then it is caused by a certain finite subset in the direct square of the base set. As a consequence, we prove that a partial order can be linearly extended if and only if it can be linearly extended on every finitely generated subalgebra. Using a special equivalence relation on the above direct square, we obtain a further property of linearly extendible partial orders. Imposing conditions on the lattice of compatible quasi orders, the number of linear orders can be determined. Our general approach yields new results even in the case of semi-groups and groups.     

A very short algebraic proof of the Farkas Lemma

We present a very short algebraic proof of a generalisation of the Farkas Lemma: we set it in a vector space of finite or infinite dimension over a linearly ordered (possibly skew) field; the non-positivity of a finite homogeneous system of linear inequalities implies the non-positivity of a linear mapping whose image space is another linearly ordered vector space. In conclusion, we briefly discuss other algebraic proofs of the result, its special cases and related results.     

Full does not imply strong, does it?

We give a duality for the variety of bounded distributive lattices that is not full (and therefore not strong) although it is full but not strong at the finite level. While this does not give a complete solution to the “Full vs Strong” Problem, which dates back to the beginnings of natural duality theory in 1980, it does solve it at the finite level. One consequence of this result is that although there is a Duality Compactness Theorem, which says that if an alter ego of finite type yields a duality at the finite level then it yields a duality, there cannot be a corresponding Full Duality Compactness Theorem. Received October 1, 2002; accepted in final form November 10, 2004.     

Orthomodular lattices in ordered vector spaces

In a partly ordered space the orthogonality relation is defined by incomparability. We define integrally open and integrally semi-open ordered real vector spaces. We prove: if an ordered real vector space is integrally semi-open, then a complete lattice of double orthoclosed sets is orthomodular. An integrally open concept is closely related to an open set in the Euclidean topology in a finite dimensional ordered vector space. We prove: if V is an ordered Euclidean space, then V is integrally open and directed (and is also Archimedean) if and only if its positive cone, without vertex 0, is an open set in the Euclidean topology (and also the family of all order segments , a < b, is a base for the Euclidean topology). Received January 7, 2005; accepted in final form November 26, 2005.     

On Newton-type approach for piecewise linear systems

We investigate effective Newton-type methods for solving piecewise linear systems. We prove that under certain relaxed conditions the proposed Newton-type methods converge monotonically and have a finite termination property. Moreover, we give some conclusions on the existence of solution for the piecewise linear systems.     

Robust conjugate duality for convex optimization under uncertainty with application to data classification

In this paper we present a robust conjugate duality theory for convex programming problems in the face of data uncertainty within the framework of robust optimization, extending the powerful conjugate duality technique. We first establish robust strong duality between an uncertain primal parameterized convex programming model problem and its uncertain conjugate dual by proving strong duality between the deterministic robust counterpart of the primal model and the optimistic counterpart of its dual problem under a regularity condition. This regularity condition is not only sufficient for robust duality but also necessary for it whenever robust duality holds for every linear perturbation of the objective function of the primal model problem. More importantly, we show that robust strong duality always holds for partially finite convex programming problems under scenario data uncertainty and that the optimistic counterpart of the dual is a tractable finite dimensional problem. As an application, we also derive a robust conjugate duality theorem for support vector machines which are a class of important convex optimization models for classifying two labelled data sets. The support vector machine has emerged as a powerful modelling tool for machine learning problems of data classification that arise in many areas of application in information and computer sciences.     

The Loomis–Sikorski Theorem revisited

We prove, constructively, that the Loomis–Sikorski Theorem for σ-complete Boolean algebras follows from a representation theorem for Archimedean vector lattices and a constructive representation of Boolean algebras as spaces of Carathéodory place functions. We also prove a constructive subdirect product representation theorem for arbitrary partially ordered vector spaces. Received August 10, 2006; accepted in final form May 30, 2007.     

Canonizing structural Ramsey theorems

At the beginning of 1950s Erd?s and Rado suggested the investigation of the Ramsey-type results where the number of colors is not finite. This marked the birth of the so-called canonizing Ramsey theory. In 1985 Prömel and Voigt made the first step towards the structural canonizing Ramsey theory when they proved the canonical Ramsey property for the class of finite linearly ordered hypergraphs, and the subclasses thereof defined by forbidden substructures. Building on their results in this paper we provide several new structural canonical Ramsey results. We prove the canonical Ramsey theorem for the class of all finite linearly ordered tournaments, the class of all finite posets with linear extensions and the class of all finite linearly ordered metric spaces. We conclude the paper with the canonical version of the celebrated Ne?et?il–Rödl Theorem. In contrast to the “classical” Ramsey-theoretic approach, in this paper we advocate the use of category theory to manage the complexity of otherwise technically overwhelming proofs typical in canonical Ramsey theory.     

Separation theorems for convex polytopes and finitely-generated cones derived from theorems of the alternative

We derive from Motzkin’s Theorem that a point can be strongly separated by a hyperplane from a convex polytope and a finitely-generated convex cone. We state a similar result for Tucker’s Theorem of the alternative. A generalisation of the residual existence theorem for linear equations which has recently been proved by Rohn [8] is a corollary. We state all the results in the setting of a general vector space over a linearly ordered (possibly skew) field.     

Nonnegative solvability of linear equations in certain ordered rings

In the integers and in certain densely ordered rings that are not fields, projections of the solution set of finitely many homogeneous weak linear inequalities may be defined by finitely many congruence inequalities, where a congruence inequality combines a weak inequality with a system of congruences. These results extend well-known facts about systems of weak linear inequalities over ordered fields and imply corresponding analogues of Farkas' Lemma on nonnegative solvability of systems of linear equations.

     

On Krull's Separation Lemma

We show that Krull's Separation Lemma for arbitrary rings and a certain lattice-theoretical generalization of it are equivalent to the classical Prime Ideal Theorem for Boolean algebras. As an application, we derive the intersection theorem for Baer radicals from choice principles weaker than the Axiom of Choice. A central tool for our considerations are Scott-openm-filters in quantales.     

A generalized Newton method for absolute value equations associated with second order cones

In this paper, we introduce the absolute value equations associated with second order cones (SOCAVE in short), which is a generalization of the absolute value equations discussed recently in the literature. It is proved that the SOCAVE is equivalent to a class of second order cone linear complementarity problems (SOCLCP in short). In particular, we propose a generalized Newton method for solving the SOCAVE and show that the proposed method is globally linearly and locally quadratically convergent under suitable assumptions. We also report some preliminary numerical results of the proposed method for solving the SOCAVE and the SOCLCP, which show the efficiency of the proposed method.     

A condition for constructing formally real monoid algebras

In this paper we demonstrate that every positive totally ordered commutative monoid on 2 generators satisfying a weak cancellation property is a convex Rees quotient of a sub-monoid of a totally ordered Abelian group. In [1], the current author, along with Evans, Konikoff, Mathis, and Madden, employed the work of Hion, [5], to demonstrate that the monoid ring of all finite formal sums over a totally ordered domain is a formally real totally ordered ring providing the totally ordered monoid satisfies this weak cancellation property and is a convex Rees quotient of a sub-monoid of a totally ordered Abelian group. Therefore, we provide here significant information about a condition for the construction of formally real totally ordered monoid algebras. Received November 4, 2003; accepted in final form November 18, 2004.     

A generalization of the Mitchell Lemma: The Ulmer Theorem and the Gabriel–Popescu Theorem revisited

We prove a generalization of the Mitchell Lemma, and we show that it is a key lemma that can be used in order to deduce in a unified easier way several important results. Thus, the Ulmer Theorem, the generalized Gabriel–Popescu Theorem and the generalized Takeuchi Lemma are all consequences of the generalized Mitchell Lemma.     

Comments on: “A family of derivative-free conjugate gradient methods for large-scale nonlinear systems of equations” [J. Comput. Appl. Math. 224 (2009) 11–19]

In this note a simple counter example shows that the proof of Lemma 3.3 in [1, W. Cheng, Y. Xiao and Q. Hu, A family of derivative-free conjugate gradient methods for large-scale nonlinear systems of equations, J. Comput. Appl. Math. 224 (2009) 11–19] is not correct, which implies that Lemma 3.2 in [1] is not enough to ensure Lemma 3.3 in [1]. A new proof is given, which leads to a stronger result than Lemma 3.2 in [1]. And this result not only guarantees that Lemma 3.3 in [1] holds, but also improves the corresponding global convergence Theorem 3.1 in [1].     

Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Solving Infinite-Dimensional Linear Inequalities

The existence of a feasible solution to a system of infinite-dimensional linear inequalities is characterized by a topological generalization of the Farkas Condition. If this result is specialized to a finite-dimensional vector space with finite positive cone, then a geometric proof of the classic Minkowski-Farkas Lemma is obtained. A dual version leads to an infinite-dimensional extension of the Theorem of the Alternative.     

Characterization of vector strict global minimizers of order 2 in differentiable vector optimization problems under a new approximation method

In this paper, a new approximation method is introduced to characterize a so-called vector strict global minimizer of order 2 for a class of nonlinear differentiable multiobjective programming problems with (F,ρ)-convex functions of order 2. In this method, an equivalent vector optimization problem is constructed by a modification of both the objectives and the constraint functions in the original multiobjective programming problem at the given feasible point. In order to prove the equivalence between the original multiobjective programming problem and its associated F-approximated vector optimization problem, the suitable (F,ρ)-convexity of order 2 assumption is imposed on the functions constituting the considered vector optimization problem.     

Unimodular modules

The present publication is mainly a survey paper on the author's contributions on the relations between graph theory and linear algebra. A system of axioms introduced by Ghouila-Houri allows one to generalize to an arbitrary Abelian group the notion of interval in a linearly ordered group and to state a theorem that generalizes two due to A.J. Hoffman. The first is on the feasibility of a system of inequalities and the other is Hoffman's circulation theorem reported in the first Berge's book on graph theory. Our point of view permitted us to prove classical results of linear programming in the more general setting of linearly ordered groups and rings. It also shed a new light on convex programming.     

Rigidity for regular functions over Hamilton and Cayley numbers and a boundary Schwarz' Lemma

A new theory of regular functions over the skew field of Hamilton numbers (quaternions) and in the division algebra of Cayley numbers (octonions) has been recently introduced by Gentili and Struppa (Adv. Math. 216 (2007) 279–301). For these functions, among several basic results, the analogue of the classical Schwarz' Lemma has been already obtained. In this paper, following an interesting approach adopted by Burns and Krantz in the holomorphic setting, we prove some boundary versions of the Schwarz' Lemma and Cartan's Uniqueness Theorem for regular functions. We are also able to extend to the case of regular functions most of the related “rigidity” results known for holomorphic functions.