Locked and Unlocked Polygonal Chains in Three Dimensions

This paper studies movements of polygonal chains in three dimensions whose links are not allowed to cross or change length. Our main result is an algorithmic proof that any simple closed chain that initially takes the form of a planar polygon can be made convex in three dimensions. Other results include an algorithm for straightening open chains having a simple orthogonal projection onto some plane, and an algorithm for making convex any open chain initially configured on the surface of a polytope. All our algorithms require only O(n) basic ``moves.' Received October 9, 1999, and in revised form February 6, 2001, and April 26, 2001. Online publication August 28, 2001.     

Shapes and measures

It is a well-known fact that a measurable set a shape can beconsidered as a measure; the aim of this work is to solve anoptimal-shape problem in such a way that it also answers thequestion of whether measures can be considered as shapes. Thispaper introduces a new method for solving problems of optimalshape design; by a process of embedding, the problem is replacedby another in which we seek to minimize a linear form over asubset of the product of two measure spaces defined by linearequalities. This minimization is global, and the theory allowsus to develop a computational method which enables us to findthe solution by finite-dimensional linear programming. The nearlyoptimal pair (C, dC) is obtained via the optimal pair of measuresby an approximation procedure. It is sometimes necessary toapply a standard minimization algorithm, because of some limitationsin the accuracy. Some examples are presented.     

Quasi-Feller Extensions of Markov Chains and Existence of Dual Chains

The author presents a revised and detailed version of his theorem on the existence of Feller's extensions of Markov chains; to this end the broader notion of quasi-Feller extension is used. The existence of Markov chains dual to the chains with Borel space of states is derived from this result. Chains irreducible in the Orey sense are studied in most detail. For example, we prove that for such chains the quasi-Feller extension can be chosen recurrent or Liouville if the original chains possess these properties.     

The Measurement and Analysis of Shapes

Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry - A de Rham p-current can be viewed as a map (the current map) between the set of embeddings of a closed p-dimensional manifold into an ambient n-manifold and...     

Properties of Some Classes of Planar Harmonic and Planar Biharmonic Mappings

The aim of this paper is to investigate some properties of planar harmonic and biharmonic mappings. First, we use the Schwarz lemma and the improved estimates for the coefficients of planar harmonic mappings to generalize earlier results related to Landau’s constants for harmonic and biharmonic mappings. Second, we obtain a new Landau’s Theorem for a certain class of biharmonic mappings. At the end, we derive a relationship between the images of the linear connectivity of the unit disk \mathbbD{\mathbb{D}} under the planar harmonic mappings f=h+[`(g)]{f=h+\overline{g}} and under their corresponding analytic counterparts F = h − g.     

The Kronecker Product of Schur Functions Indexed by Two-Row Shapes or Hook Shapes

The Kronecker product of two Schur functions s and s , denoted by s * s , is the Frobenius characteristic of the tensor product of the irreducible representations of the symmetric group corresponding to the partitions and . The coefficient of s in this product is denoted by , and corresponds to the multiplicity of the irreducible character in .We use Sergeev's Formula for a Schur function of a difference of two alphabets and the comultiplication expansion for s [XY] to find closed formulas for the Kronecker coefficients when is an arbitrary shape and and are hook shapes or two-row shapes.Remmel (J.B. Remmel, J. Algebra 120 (1989), 100–118; Discrete Math. 99 (1992), 265–287) and Remmel and Whitehead (J.B. Remmel and T. Whitehead, Bull. Belg. Math. Soc. Simon Stiven 1 (1994), 649–683) derived some closed formulas for the Kronecker product of Schur functions indexed by two-row shapes or hook shapes using a different approach. We believe that the approach of this paper is more natural. The formulas obtained are simpler and reflect the symmetry of the Kronecker product.     

Chains of subsemigroups

We show that if \(\mathcal{L}\) is a line in the plane containing a badly approximable vector, then almost every point in \(\mathcal{L}\) does not admit an improvement in Dirichlet’s theorem. Our proof relies on a measure classification result for certain measures invariant under a nonabelian two-dimensional group on the homogeneous space SL₃(?)/SL₃(?). Using the measure classification theorem, we reprove a result of Shah about planar nondegenerate curves (which are not necessarily analytic), and prove analogous results for the framework of Diophantine approximation with weights. We also show that there are line segments in ?³ which do contain badly approximable points, and for which all points do admit an improvement in Dirichlet’s theorem.     

Chains of reinsurance

A one-dimensional, hierarchical system of reinsurance is considered. A member of the chain is in direct contact with only two other members: the one from which coverage is bought and the one to which coverage is sold. Exceptions are the first link (which does not sell any reinsurance coverage) and the last link (which does not buy any). The problem is to find the values of the quotas and the loadings that are optimal in some sense. Assuming exponential utility functions and a normal distribution for the claims, an explicit solution is found for two versions of the model.     

Planar and affine spaces

In this note, we characterize finite three-dimensional affine spaces as the only linear spaces endowed with set Ω of proper subspaces having the properties (1) every line contains a constant number of points, say n, with n>2; (2) every triple of noncollinear points is contained in a unique member of Ω; (3) disjoint or coincide is an equivalence relation in Ω with the additional property that every equivalence class covers all points. We also take a look at the case n=2 (in which case we have a complete graph endowed with a set Ω of proper complete subgraphs) and classify these objects: besides the affine 3-space of order 2, two small additional examples turn up. Furthermore, we generalize our result in the case of dimension greater than three to obtain a characterization of all finite affine spaces of dimension at least 3 with lines of size at least 3.     

考虑晶粒几何形状的尺度效应

复合材料方法中的混合律方法在研究纳米晶体材料力学性能时得到了广泛的使用,准确得出各相的体积分数对该方法结果的准确性具有十分重要的影响．将纳米晶体看成由晶界、晶粒和三叉晶三相组成的复合材料,根据晶粒具有多面体的几何特点,用二维的三相复合的正多边形模型来研究纳米晶体力学性能的尺度效应,对于不同几何形状的晶粒采用对应的正多边形模型,这样我们就可以更加准确地得到各相的体积分数,从而更好地预测纳米晶体材料的力学性能．     

Okhuma Graphs and Coloured Chains

A structure is said to be ‘Okhuma’ if its automorphism group acts on it uniquely transitively, or slightly generalizing this, if its automorphism group acts uniquely transitively on each orbit. In this latter case we can think of the orbits as ‘colours’. Okhuma chains and related structures have been studied by Okhuma and others. Here we generalize their results to coloured chains, and give some constructions resulting from this of Okhuma graphs and digraphs. Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000) 06A05, 06F15.     

Prime Chains and Pratt Trees

Prime chains are sequences $p_{1}, \ldots , p_{k}Prime chains are sequences p₁, ?, p_kp_{1}, \ldots , p_{k} of primes for which p_j+1 o 1{p_{j+1} \equiv 1} (mod p _j ) for each j. We introduce three new methods for counting long prime chains. The first is used to show that N(x; p) = O_e(x^1+e){N(x; p) = O_{\varepsilon}(x^{1+\varepsilon})}, where N(x; p) is the number of chains with p ₁ = p and p_k ￡ p_x{p_k \leq p_x}. The second method is used to show that the number of prime chains ending at p is ≍ log p for most p. The third method produces the first nontrivial upper bounds on H(p), the length of the longest chain with p _k = p, valid for almost all p. As a consequence, we also settle a conjecture of Erdős, Granville, Pomerance and Spiro from 1990. A probabilistic model of H(p), based on the theory of branching random walks, is introduced and analyzed. The model suggests that for most p ￡ x{p \leq x}, H(p) stays very close to e log log x.     

Fuzzy Markov Chains and Decision-Making

Decision-making in an environment of uncertainty and imprecision for real-world problems is a complex task. In this paper it is introduced general finite state fuzzy Markov chains that have a finite convergence to a stationary (may be periodic) solution. The Cesaro average and the -potential for fuzzy Markov chains are defined, then it is shown that the relationship between them corresponds to the Blackwell formula in the classical theory of Markov decision processes. Furthermore, it is pointed out that recurrency does not necessarily imply ergodicity. However, if a fuzzy Markov chain is ergodic, then the rows of its ergodic projection equal the greatest eigen fuzzy set of the transition matrix. Then, the fuzzy Markov chain is shown to be a robust system with respect to small perturbations of the transition matrix, which is not the case for the classical probabilistic Markov chains. Fuzzy Markov decision processes are finally introduced and discussed.     

Chains of Group Localizations

We construct long sequences of localization functors L _α in the category of abelian groups such that L _α ≥ L _β for infinite cardinals α < β less than some κ. For sufficiently large free abelian groups F and α < β we have proper inclusions L _α F ? L _β F.