On solving a D.C. programming problem by a sequence of linear programs

We are dealing with a numerical method for solving the problem of minimizing a difference of two convex functions (a d.c. function) over a closed convex set in ⁿ . This algorithm combines a new prismatic branch and bound technique with polyhedral outer approximation in such a way that only linear programming problems have to be solved.Parts of this research were accomplished while the third author was visiting the University of Trier, Germany, as a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt foundation.     

The design centering problem as a D.C. programming problem

The following problem is studied: Given a compact setS inR ⁿ and a Minkowski functionalp(x), find the largest positive numberr for which there existsx S such that the set of ally R ⁿ satisfyingp(y–x) r is contained inS. It is shown that whenS is the intersection of a closed convex set and several complementary convex sets (sets whose complements are open convex) this design centering problem can be reformulated as the minimization of some d.c. function (difference of two convex functions) overR ⁿ . In the case where, moreover,p(x) = (x ^T Ax)^1/2, withA being a symmetric positive definite matrix, a solution method is developed which is based on the reduction of the problem to the global minimization of a concave function over a compact convex set.     

On a problem of A. D. Sands

Summary If a finite abelian (p, q)-group whosep-Sylow subgroup is cyclic is factorized by subsets of cardinalitiesq or a power ofp, then at least one of the factors is periodic.     

On a problem of D. H. Lehmer

Let be an odd prime number. For we denote the inverse of modulo by with . Given , we prove that in any range of length the probability that has the same parity as tends to as . This result was previously known only to hold true in the full range of length . We will also obtain quantitative results on the pseudorandomness of the sequence for which we estimate the well-distribution and correlation measures as defined by Mauduit and Sárközy (1997).

     

On a result of C. Mueller and E. Perkins

Summary. The equation du=(au”+bu′+cu) dt+νu ^γ W(dx,dt) is considered for γ∈(0,1). It is proved that u(t,·) has compact support for all t≥0 if u(0,·) does. This result extends a result of C. Mueller and E. Perkins who considered the case a=1,b=c=0. The proof does not use the nonstandard analysis unlike the one by C. Mueller and E. Perkins. Received: 6 September 1996 / In revised form: 12 February 1997     

On a problem of D.H. Lehmer and pseudorandom binary sequences

Let p be an odd prime, and f(x), g(x) ∈ [x]. Define

Necessary optimality conditions of a D.C. set-valued bilevel optimization problem

In this article, we consider a bilevel vector optimization problem where objective and constraints are set valued maps. Our approach consists of using a support function [1–3,14,15,32] together with the convex separation principle for the study of necessary optimality conditions for D.C. bilevel set-valued optimization problems. We give optimality conditions in terms of the strong subdifferential of a cone-convex set-valued mapping introduced by Baier and Jahn 6 Baier, J and Jahn, J. 1999. On subdifferentials of set-valued maps. J. Optim. Theory Appl., 100: 233–240. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] and the weak subdifferential of a cone-convex set-valued mapping of Sawaragi and Tanino 28 Sawaragi, Y and Tanino, T. 1980. Conjugate maps and duality in multiobjective optimization. J. Optim. Theory Appl., 31: 473–499.  [Google Scholar]. The bilevel set-valued problem is transformed into a one level set-valued optimization problem using a transformation originated by Ye and Zhu 34 Ye, JJ and Zhu, DL. 1995. Optimality conditions for bilevel programming problems. Optimization, 33: 9–27. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]. An example illustrating the usefulness of our result is also given.     

On a problem of D.H. Lehmer over short intervals

Let p be an odd prime and a be an integer coprime to p. Denote by N(a,p) the number of pairs of integers b,c with bc≡a (mod p), and with b,c having different parity. The main purpose of this paper is to study the sum , and obtain a sharp asymptotic formula.     

Splitting and cone avoidance in the D.C.E. degrees

It is shown that the Cooper splitting theorem for the n-c.e. degrees is not compatible with cone avoidance: For any n > 1, there exist n-c.e. degree a, c.e. degree b such that 0 < b < a and such that for any n-c.e. degrees x,y, if x ∨ y = a, then either b ≤ x or b ≤ y. This provides a new type of elementary difference between the classes of c.e. and d.c.e. degrees, implementable at lower levels of the high/low hierarchy.     

There is No Low Maximal D.C.E. Degree

We show that for any computably enumerable (c.e.) set A and any set L, if L is low and , then there is a c.e. splitting such that . In Particular, if L is low and n‐c.e., then is n‐c.e. and hence there is no low maximal n‐c.e. degree.     

On the generalization of the D. H. Lehmer problem

Let n ≥ 2 be a fixed positive integer, q ≥ 3 and c be two integers with （n, q） = （c, q） = 1. We denote by rn（51, 52, C; q） （δ 〈 δ1,δ2≤ 1） the number of all pairs of integers a, b satisfying ab ≡ c（mod q）, 1 〈 a ≤δ1q, 1 ≤ b≤δ2q, （a,q） = （b,q） = 1 and nt（a＋b）. The main purpose of this paper is to study the asymptotic properties of rn （δ1, δ2, c; q）, and give a sharp asymptotic formula for it.     

On Lipschitz and D.C. surfaces of finite codimension in a Banach space

Properties of Lipschitz and d.c. surfaces of finite codimension in a Banach space and properties of generated σ-ideals are studied. These σ-ideals naturally appear in the differentiation theory and in the abstract approximation theory. Using these properties, we improve an unpublished result of M. Heisler which gives an alternative proof of a result of D. Preiss on singular points of convex functions.     

Solution to a problem of C. D. Godsil regarding bipartite graphs with unique perfect matching

We give the solution to the following question of C. D. Godsil[2]: Among the bipartite graphsG with a unique perfect matching and such that a bipartite graph obtains when the edges of the matching are contracted, characterize those having the property thatG ⁺G, whereG ⁺ is the bipartite multigraph whose adjacency matrix,B ⁺, is diagonally similar to the inverse of the adjacency matrix ofG put in lower-triangular form. The characterization is thatG must be obtainable from a bipartite graph by adding, to each vertex, a neighbor of degree one. Our approach relies on the association of a directed graph to each pair (G, M) of a bipartite graphG and a perfect matchingM ofG.     

On Covering Methods for D.C. Optimization

Covering methods constitute a broad class of algorithms for solving multivariate Global Optimization problems. In this note we show that, when the objective f is d.c. and a d.c. decomposition for f is known, the computational burden usually suffered by multivariate covering methods is significantly reduced. With this we extend to the (non-differentiable) d.c. case the covering method of Breiman and Cutler, showing that it is a particular case of the standard outer approximation approach. Our computational experience shows that this generalization yields not only more flexibility but also faster convergence than the covering method of Breiman-Cutler.     

Solution to a problem of A. D. sands

If a finite cyclic group is a direct product of its subsets such that the cardinality of one factor is a product of two primes and the others are of prime cardinalities, then at least one of the factors is a direct product of a subset and a proper subgroup of the group. This settles a 30 years old problem of A. D. Sands,.     

On a 1D inverse problem with interfaces in bioengineering

In this work we study a 1D Inverse Problem that is motivated by the electroencephalogram (EEG) problem, which consists in the use of EEG data to find the location of electric sources of neural activity in the brain. We analize a 1D differential equation with a unique pointwise source. We consider different source models and study the sensitivity of the solution with respect to a parameter associated with the location of the source. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)