Continuity of solutions of a problem in the calculus of variations

We study the problem of minimizing ${\int_{\Omega} L(x,u(x),Du(x))\,{\rm d}x}$ over the functions ${u\in W^{1,p}(\Omega)}$ that assume given boundary values ${\phi}$ on ???. We assume that L(x, u, Du)?=?F(Du)?+?G(x, u) and that F is convex. We prove that if ${\phi}$ is continuous and ?? is convex, then any minimum u is continuous on the closure of ??. When ?? is not convex, the result holds true if F(Du)?=?f(|Du|). Moreover, if ${\phi}$ is Lipschitz continuous, then u is H?lder continuous.     

The Roles Played by Order of Convexity or Starlikeness and the Bloch Condition in the Extension of Mappings from the Disk to the Ball

Let ${G: \mathbb {C}^{n-1} \rightarrow \mathbb {C}}$ be holomorphic such that G(0)?=?0 and DG(0)?=?0. When f is a convex (resp. starlike) normalized (f(0)?=?0, f??(0)?=?1) univalent mapping of the unit disk ${\mathbb {D}}$ in ${\mathbb {C}}$ , then the extension of f to the Euclidean unit ball ${\mathbb {B}}$ in ${\mathbb {C}^n}$ given by ${\Phi_G(f)(z)=(f(z_1)+G(\sqrt{f^{\prime}(z_1)} \, \hat{z}),\sqrt{f^{\prime}(z_1)}\, \hat{z})}$ , ${\hat{z}=(z_2,\dots,z_n) \in \mathbb {C}^{n-1}}$ , is known to be convex (resp. starlike) if G is a homogeneous polynomial of degree 2 with sufficiently small norm. Conversely, it is known that G cannot have terms of degree greater than 2 in its expansion about 0 in order for ${\Phi_G(f)}$ to be convex (resp. starlike), in general. We examine whether the restriction that f be either convex or starlike of a certain order ${\alpha \in (0,1]}$ allows, in general, for G to contain terms of degree greater than 2 and still have ${\Phi_G(f)}$ maintain the respective geometric property. Related extension results for convex and starlike Bloch mappings are also given.     

On convex relaxations for quadratically constrained quadratic programming

We consider convex relaxations for the problem of minimizing a (possibly nonconvex) quadratic objective subject to linear and (possibly nonconvex) quadratic constraints. Let $\mathcal{F }$ denote the feasible region for the linear constraints. We first show that replacing the quadratic objective and constraint functions with their convex lower envelopes on $\mathcal{F }$ is dominated by an alternative methodology based on convexifying the range of the quadratic form $\genfrac(){0.0pt}{}{1}{x}\genfrac(){0.0pt}{}{1}{x}^T$ for $x\in \mathcal{F }$ . We next show that the use of ?? $\alpha $ BB?? underestimators as computable estimates of convex lower envelopes is dominated by a relaxation of the convex hull of the quadratic form that imposes semidefiniteness and linear constraints on diagonal terms. Finally, we show that the use of a large class of D.C. (??difference of convex??) underestimators is dominated by a relaxation that combines semidefiniteness with RLT constraints.     

Convex underestimators of polynomials

Convex underestimators of a polynomial on a box. Given a non convex polynomial ${f\in \mathbb{R}[{\rm x}]}$ and a box ${{\rm B}\subset \mathbb{R}^n}$ , we construct a sequence of convex polynomials ${(f_{dk})\subset \mathbb{R}[{\rm x}]}$ , which converges in a strong sense to the “best” (convex and degree-d) polynomial underestimator ${f^{*}_{d}}$ of f. Indeed, ${f^{*}_{d}}$ minimizes the L ₁-norm ${\Vert f-g\Vert_1}$ on B, over all convex degree-d polynomial underestimators g of f. On a sample of problems with non convex f, we then compare the lower bounds obtained by minimizing the convex underestimator of f computed as above and computed via the popular α BB method and some of its other refinements. In most of all examples we obtain significantly better results even with the smallest value of k.     

Starshapedness vs. Convexity

Starshapedness is a generalization of convexity. A set C is convex if ${\forall x\in C}$ and ${\forall y\in C}$ the segment ${[x:y]\subset C}$ . On the other hand, a set S is starshaped if ${\exists y\in S}$ such that ${\forall x\in S}$ the segment ${[x:y]\subset S}$ . Due to these closely related definitions, convex and starshaped sets have many similarities, but there are also some striking differences. In this paper we continue our studies of such similarities and differences. Our main goal is to get characterizations of starshapedness and, further on, to describe a starshaped set and its kernel by means of cones included in its complement.     

Totally geodesic discs in strongly convex domains

We prove that every isometry from the unit disk Δ in ${\mathbb{C}}$ , endowed with the Poincaré distance, to a strongly convex bounded domain Ω of class ${\mathcal{C}^3}$ in ${\mathbb{C}^n}$ , endowed with the Kobayashi distance, is the composition of a complex geodesic of Ω with either a conformal or an anti-conformal automorphism of Δ. As a corollary we obtain that every isometry for the Kobayashi distance, from a strongly convex bounded domain of class ${\mathcal{C}^3}$ in ${\mathbb{C}^n}$ to a strongly convex bounded domain of class ${\mathcal{C}^3}$ in ${\mathbb{C}^m}$ , is either holomorphic or anti-holomorphic.     

On {\epsilon} -solutions for convex optimization problems with uncertainty data

We consider ${\epsilon}$ -solutions (approximate solutions) for a robust convex optimization problem in the face of data uncertainty. Using robust optimization approach (worst-case approach), we establish an optimality theorem and duality theorems for ${\epsilon}$ -solutions for the robust convex optimization problem. Moreover, we give an example illustrating the duality theorems.     

Null curves in {\mathbb{C}^3} and Calabi–Yau conjectures

For any open orientable surface M and convex domain ${\Omega\subset \mathbb{C}^3,}$ there exist a Riemann surface N homeomorphic to M and a complete proper null curve F : N → Ω. This result follows from a general existence theorem with many applications. Among them, the followings:

For any convex domain Ω in ${\mathbb{C}^2}$ there exist a Riemann surface N homeomorphic to M and a complete proper holomorphic immersion F : N → Ω. Furthermore, if ${D \subset \mathbb{R}^2}$ is a convex domain and Ω is the solid right cylinder ${\{x \in \mathbb{C}^2 \,|\, \mbox{Re}(x) \in D\},}$ then F can be chosen so that Re(F) : N → D is proper.

There exist a Riemann surface N homeomorphic to M and a complete bounded holomorphic null immersion ${F:N \to {\rm SL}(2, \mathbb{C}).}$

There exists a complete bounded CMC-1 immersion ${X:M \to \mathbb{H}^3.}$

For any convex domain ${\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^3}$ there exists a complete proper minimal immersion (X _j ) _j=1,2,3 : M → Ω with vanishing flux. Furthermore, if ${D \subset \mathbb{R}^2}$ is a convex domain and ${\Omega=\{(x_j)_{j=1,2,3} \in \mathbb{R}^3 \,|\, (x_1,x_2) \in D\},}$ then X can be chosen so that (X ₁, X ₂) : M → D is proper.

Any of the above surfaces can be chosen with hyperbolic conformal structure.     

Computable representations for convex hulls of low-dimensional quadratic forms

Let ${\mathcal{C}}$ be the convex hull of points ${{\{{1 \choose x}{1 \choose x}^T \,|\, x\in \mathcal{F}\subset \Re^n\}}}$ . Representing or approximating ${\mathcal{C}}$ is a fundamental problem for global optimization algorithms based on convex relaxations of products of variables. We show that if n ≤ 4 and ${\mathcal{F}}$ is a simplex, then ${\mathcal{C}}$ has a computable representation in terms of matrices X that are doubly nonnegative (positive semidefinite and componentwise nonnegative). We also prove that if n = 2 and ${\mathcal{F}}$ is a box, then ${\mathcal{C}}$ has a representation that combines semidefiniteness with constraints on product terms obtained from the reformulation-linearization technique (RLT). The simplex result generalizes known representations for the convex hull of ${{\{(x_1, x_2, x_1x_2)\,|\, x\in\mathcal{F}\}}}$ when ${\mathcal{F}\subset\Re^2}$ is a triangle, while the result for box constraints generalizes the well-known fact that in this case the RLT constraints generate the convex hull of ${{\{(x_1, x_2, x_1x_2)\,|\, x\in\mathcal{F}\}}}$ . When n = 3 and ${\mathcal{F}}$ is a box, we show that a representation for ${\mathcal{C}}$ can be obtained by utilizing the simplex result for n = 4 in conjunction with a triangulation of the 3-cube.     

Multiple criteria problems over Minkowski balls

Under study are some vector optimization problems over the space of Minkowski balls, i.e., symmetric convex compact subsets in Euclidean space. A typical problem requires to achieve the best result in the presence of conflicting goals; e.g., given the surface area of a symmetric convex body $\mathfrak{x}$ , we try to maximize the volume of $\mathfrak{x}$ and minimize the width of $\mathfrak{x}$ simultaneously.     

Isolated Hypersurface Singularities and Special Polynomial Realizations of Affine Quadrics

Let V, $\tilde{V}$ be hypersurface germs in ? ^m , each having a quasi-homogeneous isolated singularity at the origin. We show that the biholomorphic equivalence problem for V, $\tilde{V}$ reduces to the linear equivalence problem for certain polynomials P, $\tilde{P}$ arising from the moduli algebras of V, $\tilde{V}$ . The polynomials P, $\tilde{P}$ are completely determined by their quadratic and cubic terms, hence the biholomorphic equivalence problem for V, $\tilde{V}$ in fact reduces to the linear equivalence problem for pairs of quadratic and cubic forms.     

Characteristic functions as distributional boundary values of analytic functions in tube domains

We propose necessary and sufficient conditions for a complex-valued function f on \( {{\mathbb{R}}^n} \) to be a characteristic function of a probability measure. Certain analytic extensions of f to tubular domains in \( {{\mathbb{C}}^n} \) are studied. In order to extend the class of functions under study, we also consider the case where f is a generalized function (distribution). The main result is given in terms of completely monotonic functions on convex cones in \( {{\mathbb{R}}^n} \) .     

The Arboreal Jump Number of an Order

Let ${\mathcal P}$ be a partial order and ${\mathcal A}$ an arboreal extension of it (i.e. the Hasse diagram of ${\mathcal A}$ is a rooted tree with a unique minimal element). A jump of ${\mathcal A}$ is a relation contained in the Hasse diagram of ${\mathcal A}$ , but not in the order ${\mathcal P}$ . The arboreal jump number of ${\mathcal A}$ is the number of jumps contained in it. We study the problem of finding the arboreal extension of ${\mathcal P}$ having minimum arboreal jump number—a problem related to the well-known (linear) jump number problem. We describe several results for this problem, including NP-completeness, polynomial time solvable cases and bounds. We also discuss the concept of a minimal arboreal extension, namely an arboreal extension whose removal of one jump makes it no longer arboreal.     

An isoperimetric deficit upper bound of the convex domain in a surface of constant curvature

In this paper, we give a reverse analog of the Bonnesen-style inequality of a convex domain in the surface $ \mathbb{X} $ _∈ of constant curvature ∈, that is, an isoperimetric deficit upper bound of the convex domain in $ \mathbb{X} $ _∈ . The result is an analogue of the known Bottema’s result of 1933 in the Euclidean plane $ \mathbb{E} $ ².     

Conic volume ratio of the packing cone associate to a convex body

Given a convex body ${K\subset\mathbb{R}^n}$ (n??? 1) which contains o in its interior and ${{\bf u} \in S^{n-1}}$ , we introduce conic volume ratio r(K, u) of K in the direction of u by $$r(K, {\bf u})=\frac{vol(cone(K,{\bf u})\cap B_2^n)}{vol(B_2^n)},$$ where cone(K, u) is the packing cone of K in the direction of u. We prove that if K is an o-symmetric convex body in ${\mathbb{R}^n}$ and r(K, u) is a constant function of u, then K must be a Euclidean ball.     

Gauss–Newton method for convex composite optimizations on Riemannian manifolds

A notion of quasi-regularity is extended for the inclusion problem ${F(p)\in C}$ , where F is a differentiable mapping from a Riemannian manifold M to ${\mathbb R^n}$ . When C is the set of minimum points of a convex real-valued function h on ${\mathbb R^n}$ and DF satisfies the L-average Lipschitz condition, we use the majorizing function technique to establish the semi-local convergence of sequences generated by the Gauss-Newton method (with quasi-regular initial points) for the convex composite function h ? F on Riemannian manifold. Two applications are provided: one is for the case of regularities on Riemannian manifolds and the other is for the case when C is a cone and DF(p ₀)(·) ? C is surjective. In particular, the results obtained in this paper extend the corresponding one in Wang et?al. (Taiwanese J Math 13:633?C656, 2009).     

Tiling Convex Polygons with Congruent Equilateral Triangles

We study the sets $\mathcal{T}_{v}=\{m \in\{1,2,\ldots\}: \mbox{there is a convex polygon in }\mathbb{R}^{2}\mbox{ that has }v\mbox{ vertices and can be tiled with $m$ congruent equilateral triangles}\}$ , v=3,4,5,6. $\mathcal{T}_{3}$ , $\mathcal{T}_{4}$ , and $\mathcal{T}_{6}$ can be quoted completely. The complement $\{1,2,\ldots\} \setminus\mathcal{T}_{5}$ of $\mathcal{T}_{5}$ turns out to be a subset of Euler’s numeri idonei. As a consequence, $\{1,2,\ldots\} \setminus\mathcal{T}_{5}$ can be characterized with up to two exceptions, and a complete characterization is given under the assumption of the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis.     

Variance asymptotics for random polytopes in smooth convex bodies

Let $K \subset \mathbb R ^d$ be a smooth convex set and let $\mathcal{P }_{\lambda }$ be a Poisson point process on $\mathbb R ^d$ of intensity ${\lambda }$ . The convex hull of $\mathcal{P }_{\lambda }\cap K$ is a random convex polytope $K_{\lambda }$ . As ${\lambda }\rightarrow \infty $ , we show that the variance of the number of $k$ -dimensional faces of $K_{\lambda }$ , when properly scaled, converges to a scalar multiple of the affine surface area of $K$ . Similar asymptotics hold for the variance of the number of $k$ -dimensional faces for the convex hull of a binomial process in $K$ .     

The moment problem for continuous positive semidefinite linear functionals

Let τ be a locally convex topology on the countable dimensional polynomial ${\mathbb{R}}$ -algebra ${\mathbb{R} [\underline{X}] := \mathbb{R} [X_1, \ldots, X_{n}]}$ . Let K be a closed subset of ${\mathbb{R} ^{n}}$ , and let ${M := M_{\{g_1, \ldots, g_s\}}}$ be a finitely generated quadratic module in ${\mathbb{R} [\underline{X}]}$ . We investigate the following question: When is the cone Psd(K) (of polynomials nonnegative on K) included in the closure of M? We give an interpretation of this inclusion with respect to representing continuous linear functionals by measures. We discuss several examples; we compute the closure of ${M = \sum \mathbb{R} [\underline{X}]^{2}}$ with respect to weighted norm-p topologies. We show that this closure coincides with the cone Psd(K) where K is a certain convex compact polyhedron.     

Constructing metrics on a 2-torus with a partially prescribed stable norm

A result of Bangert states that the stable norm associated to any Riemannian metric on the 2-torus T ² is strictly convex. We demonstrate that the space of stable norms associated to metrics on T ² forms a proper dense subset of the space of strictly convex norms on ${{\mathbb R}^2}$ . In particular, given a strictly convex norm || · ||_∞ on ${{\mathbb R}^2}$ we construct a sequence ${\langle {\| \cdot \|}_j \rangle_{j=1}^{\infty}}$ of stable norms that converge to || · ||_∞ in the topology of compact convergence and have the property that for each r > 0 there is an ${N \equiv N(r)}$ such that || · || _j agrees with || · ||_∞ on ${{\mathbb Z}^2 \cap \{(a,b) : a^2 + b^2 \leq r \}}$ for all j ≥ N. Using this result, we are able to derive results on multiplicities which arise in the minimum length spectrum of 2-tori and in the simple length spectrum of hyperbolic tori.