Affine-inscribed and affine-circumscribed polygons and polytopes

Five theorems on polygons and polytopes inscribed in (or circumscribed about) a convex compact set in the plane or space are proved by topological methods. In particular, it is proved that for every interior point O of a convex compact set in ℝ³, there exists a two-dimensional section through O circumscribed about an affine image of a regular octagon. It is also proved that every compact convex set in ℝ³ (except the cases listed below) is circumscribed about an affine image of a cube-octahedron (the convex hull of the midpoints of the edges of a cube). Possible exceptions are provided by the bodies containing a parallelogram P and contained in a cylinder with directrix P. Bibliography: 29 titles. Translated fromZapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov POMI, Vol. 231, 1995, pp. 286–298. Translated by B. M. Bekker.     

Polytopes and arrangements: Diameter and curvature

We introduce a continuous analogue of the Hirsch conjecture and a discrete analogue of the result of Dedieu, Malajovich and Shub. We prove a continuous analogue of the result of Holt and Klee, namely, we construct a family of polytopes which attain the conjectured order of the largest total curvature.     

Bloch and normal functions and their relation

Following a brief introduction to Bloch and normal functions, several conditions, including a convergence theorem, are shown for determining them. In addition, since an exponential of any constant multiple of a Bloch function is always normal, we investigate whether or not the converse holds, and construct an example of a non-Bloch function such that the exponential of any constant multiple of it is normal.     

Competition and Cooperation between Manufacturer and Retailer

We assume that each manufacturer decides his price to the tradeand that retailers set their prices in the light of the manufacturer'sprices. We consider two hypotheses about the way in which eachmakes his decision. In the absence of cooperation, the retailerchooses a price (as a function of the trade price) which willmaximize the retail profit. The manufacturer takes this intoaccount in determining his price to maximize his profit. Ifthey cooperate (which may be illegal), they agree to a retailprice which maximizes their joint profit. The trade price isset via a discussion on how the profit is to be split betweenthem. It is clear that the cooperative profit cannot be lessthan the non-cooperative profit. In at least one set of circumstancesthe non-cooperative solution yields a smaller profit for theretailer than the manufacturer, which means that the latteris in a weak position with respect to bargaining over the additionalprofits from cooperation. More surprising is our main resultthat, for some response functions, cooperative prices are lowerand sales volumes are higher under cooperation. Examples tobe examined in detail are: (a) single manufacturer and singleretailer; (b) several manufacturers and a single retailer (ora group of identical retailers) with a linear symmetric price-volumerelationship.     

Dissipative Operators and Quasianalytic and Integral Vectors

Dissipative operators and quasianalytic vectors are considered. A relationship between quasianalytic vectors and maximum dissipative operators is established. For a homogeneous evolutionary equation in the Banach space, a condition for the existence of a solution in the entire complex plane is found.     

Shadows and intersections: Stability and new proofs

We give a short new proof of a version of the Kruskal-Katona theorem due to Lovász. Our method can be extended to a stability result, describing the approximate structure of configurations that are close to being extremal, which answers a question of Mubayi. This in turn leads to another combinatorial proof of a stability theorem for intersecting families, which was originally obtained by Friedgut using spectral techniques and then sharpened by Keevash and Mubayi by means of a purely combinatorial result of Frankl. We also give an algebraic perspective on these problems, giving yet another proof of intersection stability that relies on expansion of a certain Cayley graph of the symmetric group, and an algebraic generalisation of Lovász's theorem that answers a question of Frankl and Tokushige.     

Continuity and measurability of multiplier and projective representations

It is shown that various kinds of measurability of a multiplier representation of a locally compact group are equivalent, and are equivalent to the continuity of an ordinary representation of a related group. A unitary representation with measurable coefficients is the sum of a strongly continuous representation and a representation all of whose coefficients are locally null functions. Similar results are obtained for projective unitary representations. This work is carried out without any separability assumptions.     

Edges and switches,tunnels and bridges

Edge casing is a well-known method to improve the readability of drawings of non-planar graphs. A cased drawing orders the edges of each edge crossing and interrupts the lower edge in an appropriate neighborhood of the crossing. Certain orders will lead to a more readable drawing than others. We formulate several optimization criteria that try to capture the concept of a “good” cased drawing. Further, we address the algorithmic question of how to turn a given drawing into an optimal cased drawing. For many of the resulting optimization problems, we either find polynomial time algorithms or NP-hardness results.     

Fuzzy programming and profit and cost allocation for a production and transportation problem

In this paper, we deal with a real problem on production and transportation in a housing material manufacturer, and consider a production and transportation planning under the assumption that the manufacturer makes multiple products at factories in multiple regions and the products are in demand in each of the regions. First, we formulate mixed zero–one programming problems such that the cost of production and transportation is minimized subject to capacities of factories and demands of regions. Second, to realize stable production and satisfactory supply of the products in fuzzy environments, fuzzy programming for the production and transportation problem is incorporated. Finally, under the optimal planning of production and transportation, we show a profit and cost allocation by applying a solution concept from game theory. Using actual data, we show usefulness of the fuzzy programming and a rational allocation scheme of the profit and cost.     

BSDEs and SDEs with time-advanced and -delayed coefficients

ABSTRACT

This paper introduces a class of backward stochastic differential equations (BSDEs), whose coefficients not only depend on the value of its solutions of the present but also the past and the future. For a sufficiently small time delay or a sufficiently small Lipschitz constant, the existence and uniqueness of such BSDEs is obtained. As an adjoint process, a class of stochastic differential equations (SDEs) is introduced, whose coefficients also depend on the present, the past and the future of its solutions. The existence and uniqueness of such SDEs is proved for a sufficiently small time advance or a sufficiently small Lipschitz constant. A duality between such BSDEs and SDEs is established.     

Multi-coloring and job-scheduling with assignment and incompatibility costs

Consider a scheduling problem (P) which consists of a set of jobs to be performed within a limited number of time periods. For each job, we know its duration as an integer number of time periods, and preemptions are allowed. The goal is to assign the required number of time periods to each job while minimizing the assignment and incompatibility costs. When a job is performed within a time period, an assignment cost is encountered, which depends on the involved job and on the considered time period. In addition, for some pairs of jobs, incompatibility costs are encountered if they are performed within common time periods. (P) can be seen as an extension of the multi-coloring problem. We propose various solution methods for (P) (namely a greedy algorithm, a descent method, a tabu search and a genetic local search), as well as an exact approach. All these methods are compared on different types of instances.     

Isodiametric and Isoperimetric Inequalities for Complexes and Groups

It is shown that D. Cohen's inequality bounding the isoperimetricfunction of a group by the double exponential of its isodiametricfunction is valid in the more general context of locally finitesimply connected complexes. It is shown that in this contextthis bound is ‘best possible’. Also studied aresecond-dimensional isoperimetric functions for groups and complexes.It is shown that the second-dimensional isoperimetric functionof a group is bounded by a recursive function. By a similarargument it is shown that the area distortion of a finitelypresented subgroup of a finitely presented group is recursive.Cohen's inequality is extended to second-dimensional isoperimetricand isodiametric functions of 2-connected simplicial complexes.     

Antibandwidth and cyclic antibandwidth of meshes and hypercubes

The antibandwidth problem consists of placing the vertices of a graph on a line in consecutive integer points in such a way that the minimum difference of adjacent vertices is maximised. The problem was originally introduced in [J.Y.-T. Leung, O. Vornberger, J.D. Witthoff, On some variants of the bandwidth minimisation problem, SIAM Journal of Computing 13 (1984) 650-667] in connection with the multiprocessor scheduling problems and can also be understood as a dual problem to the well-known bandwidth problem, as a special radiocolouring problem or as a variant of obnoxious facility location problems. The antibandwidth problem is NP-hard, there are a few classes of graphs with polynomial time complexities. Exact results for nontrivial graphs are very rare. Miller and Pritikin [Z. Miller, D. Pritikin, On the separation number of a graph, Networks 19 (1989) 651-666] showed tight bounds for the two-dimensional meshes and hypercubes. We solve the antibandwidth problem precisely for two-dimensional meshes, tori and estimate the antibandwidth value for hypercubes up to the third-order term. The cyclic antibandwidth problem is to embed an n-vertex graph into the cycle C_n, such that the minimum distance (measured in the cycle) of adjacent vertices is maximised. This is a natural extension of the antibandwidth problem or a dual problem to the cyclic bandwidth problem. We start investigating this invariant for typical graphs and prove basic facts and exact results for the same product graphs as for the antibandwidth.     

Bayesian decision making and military command and control

We discuss firstly the problem of military decision, in the context of the more general development of ideas in the representation of decision making. Within this context, we have considered a mathematical model—Bayesian Decision—of decision making and military command. Previous work has been extended, and applied to this problem. A distribution of belief in outcome, given that a decision is made, and a Loss function—a measure of the effect of this outcome relative to a goal—are formed. The Bayes' Decision is the decision which globally minimises the resultant bimodal (or worse) Expected Loss function. The set of all minimising decisions corresponds to the surface of an elementary Catastrophe. This allows smooth parameter changes to lead to a discontinuous change in the Bayes' decision. In future work this approach will be used to help develop a number of hypotheses concerning command processes and military headquarters structure. It will also be used to help capture such command and control processes in simulation modelling of future defence capability and force structure.     

Partitions and homomorphisms in directed and undirected graphs

Boyle has given a condition for defining a homomorphism in terms of minimal paths for undirected graphs. The purpose of such homomorphisms is to provide a simpler graph which will reflect the structure of the more complex graph, and thereby enable the researcher to make observations which may have been shrouded by a preponderance of nodes and edges. This paper develops Boyle's ideas and introduces further homomorphisms for directed as well as undirected graphs. The relationships between the various homomorphisms are also examined.     

Generic existence and uniqueness of positive eigenvalues and eigenvectors

We consider a closed cone of positive operators on an ordered Banach space and prove that a generic element of this cone has a unique positive eigenvalue and a unique (up to a positive multiple) positive eigenvector. Moreover, the normalized iterations of such a generic element converge to its unique eigenvector.     

Semantics and pragmatics of fuzzy sets and systems

A philosophical formalism of a new methodological aspect of humanistic systems design and evaluation is given. A requisite concept of context-dependency is highlighted, and some approaches to fuzzy sets and linguistics subsequently extended. It is consequently shown that a mathematical theory of pragmatic fuzzy subsets is not only conceptually possible but practically implementable in man-machine studies as well. Thus, the important context-dependent implication of the subjective nature of Zadeh's theory of fuzzy sets can be better exploited.As a pragmatic theory, the approach here is a seeming connection between pragmatism and ontology, concepts that are traditionally diametrically opposed to each other. The attitude adopted has been the equation of pragmatism and psychophysical measurements of ontological objects (noumena). Pragmatism is tacitly defined as a form of empiricism whereby linguistic constructs (i.e., linguistic-variable denotions) that represent any aspect(s) of a humanistic system are nothing more than an operational procedure used to achieve psychophysical measurements of the aspect(s). In this fashion, pragmatism would enable the contents of assertions, which are made through declarative propositions, about humanistic systems to be deciphered within relevant contexts. For pragmatism, direct sense experience provides both the meaning and the criterion of reality judgements. The context-dependent nature of the physical reality of ontological entities is, therefore, better understood pragmatically vis-a-vis the appropriate evaluative criteria and interpretative conventions.By emphasizing the distinction between a fuzzy system (naturally fuzzified) and a fuzzified mathematical structure (meta-mathematically fuzzified), the use of the standard fuzzy topologies is justified although it is conceptually possible to develop a yet more general topology or perhaps an alternative one especially in the case of a meta-mathematically fuzzified structure. However, for the express purpose of machine implementation, a naturally fuzzified system, such as a (complex) humanistic system, is more amenable to an initial test of the philosophy of pragmatic fuzzy subsets. Consequently, the fuzzy topology and spaces employed are intended to be devoid of extensive generalities, in this instance.     

Existence of spanning and dominating trails and circuits

Let T be a trail of a graph G. T is a spanning trail (S-trail) if T contains all vertices of G. T is a dominating trail (D-trail) if every edge of G is incident with at least one vertex of T. A circuit is a nontrivial closed trail. Sufficient conditions involving lower bounds on the degree-sum of vertices or edges are derived for graphs to have an S-trail, S-circuit, D-trail, or D-circuit. Thereby a result of Brualdi and Shanny and one mentioned by Lesniak-Foster and Williamson are improved.     

Liapunov functions and boundedness and global existence of solutions

In this paper the properties of a Liapunov function and its derivatives are combined in obtaining sufficient conditions for the boundedness and global existence of solutions of the system of differential equations

x=f(t,x) (1)

where f: [0,∞)XRⁿ→ Rⁿ is continuous. The following terms are introduced: (i) a scalar function which is mildly unbounded relative to a subset of Rⁿ,(ii) a scalar function which is radially unbounded relative to a set, (iii) a Liapunov function with mildly negative definite derivative in a set, (iv) a Liapunov function with strongly negative definite derivative in a set, and (v) a set which is unbounded-departing with respect to system (1). As a special case the autonomous system of differential equations which corresponds to (1) is considered and the semi-invariance property of the positive limiting set of a solution is used in the results