Block-Coordinate Gradient Descent Method for?Linearly Constrained Nonsmooth Separable Optimization

We consider the problem of minimizing the weighted sum of a smooth function f and a convex function P of n real variables subject to m linear equality constraints. We propose a block-coordinate gradient descent method for solving this problem, with the coordinate block chosen by a Gauss-Southwell-q rule based on sufficient predicted descent. We establish global convergence to first-order stationarity for this method and, under a local error bound assumption, linear rate of convergence. If f is convex with Lipschitz continuous gradient, then the method terminates in O(n ²/ε) iterations with an ε-optimal solution. If P is separable, then the Gauss-Southwell-q rule is implementable in O(n) operations when m=1 and in O(n ²) operations when m>1. In the special case of support vector machines training, for which f is convex quadratic, P is separable, and m=1, this complexity bound is comparable to the best known bound for decomposition methods. If f is convex, then, by gradually reducing the weight on P to zero, the method can be adapted to solve the bilevel problem of minimizing P over the set of minima of f+δ _X , where X denotes the closure of the feasible set. This has application in the least 1-norm solution of maximum-likelihood estimation. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation, Grant No. DMS-0511283.     

On a class of equilibrium problems in the real axis

In a series of seminal papers, Thomas J. Stieltjes (1856-1894) gave an elegant electrostatic interpretation for the zeros of classical families of orthogonal polynomials, such as Jacobi, Hermite and Laguerre polynomials. More generally, he extended this approach to the zeros of polynomial solutions of certain second-order linear differential equations (Lamé equations), the so-called Heine-Stieltjes polynomials.In this paper, a class of electrostatic equilibrium problems in R, where the free unit charges x₁,…,x_n∈R are in presence of a finite family of “attractors” (i.e., negative charges) z₁,…,z_m∈C?R, is considered and its connection with certain class of Lamé-type equations is shown. In addition, we study the situation when both n→∞ and m→∞, by analyzing the corresponding (continuous) equilibrium problem in presence of a certain class of external fields.     

On the security analysis of an image scrambling encryption of pixel bit and its improved scheme based on self-correlation encryption

An image scrambling encryption scheme for pixel bits was presented by Ye [Ye GD. Image scrambling encryption algorithm of pixel bit based on chaos map. Pattern Recognit Lett 2010;31:347-54], which can be seen as one kind of typical binary image scrambling encryption considering from the bit-plain of size M × (8N). However, recently, some defects existing in the original image encryption scheme, i.e., Ye’s scheme, have been observed by Li and Lo [Li CQ, Lo KT. Optimal quantitative cryptanalysis of permutation-only multimedia ciphers against plaintext attacks. Signal Process 2011;91:949-54]. In the attack proposed by Li and Lo at least 3 + ⌈log₂(MN)⌉ plain images of size M × N are used to reveal the permutation matrix W = [w(i, k)] (i ∈ {1, 2, … , M}; k ∈ {1, 2, … , 8N}) which can be applied to recover the exact plain image. In the current paper, at first, one type of special plain image/cipher image is used to analyze the security weakness of the original image scrambling scheme under study. The final encryption vectors TM and TN or the decryption vectors TM′ and TN′ are revealed completely according to our attack. To demonstrate the performance of our attack, a quantified comparison is drawn between our attack and the attack proposed by Li and Lo. Compared with Li and Lo’s attack, our attack is more efficient in the general conditions. In particular, when the sizes of images satisfy the condition M = N or M ? 8N, the number of the used plain images/cipher images is at most 9, which is sharply less than 3 + ⌈log₂(MN)⌉ when M and N are of large size. To overcome the weaknesses of the original scheme, in this paper, an improved image scrambling encryption scheme is proposed. In the improved scheme, the idea of the “self-correlation” method is used to resist the chosen-plaintext attack/known-plaintext attack. The corresponding simulations and analyses illustrate that the improved encryption method has good cryptographic properties, and can overcome the weakness of the original image encryption scheme. Finally, farther improvement is briefly presented for the future work.     

On the interpolation of some generalized function spaces of different anisotropy

In the paper, the interpolation properties of the spacesH _p ^s (v; ℝ _n ) of Sobolev-Liouville type and the spacesB _{p, q} ^s (μ ℝ _n ) of Nikol'skii-Besov type generated by functions of polynomial growth that are infinitely differentiable outside of the origin are studied. Interpolation formulas for the pairs {H(v _o ),H(v ₁)} and {B(μ₀),B(μ₁)} of spaces of the above types for which the anisotropies of the interpolated spaces do not depend on each other are proved. The investigated spaces, for certain specification of the generating functions, coincide with the classical (isotropic and anisotropic) Sobolev-Liouville and Nikol'skii-Besov spaces. Translated fromMatematicheskie Zametki, Vol. 62, No. 5, pp. 666–672, November, 1997. Translated by A. I. Shtern     

Traveling wave solutions of Lotka–Volterra type two predators‐one prey model

In this work, we consider a model with one basal resource and two species of predators feeding by the same resource. There are three non‐trivial boundary equilibria. One is the saturated state E_K of the prey without any predator. Other two equilibria, E₁ and E₂, are the coexistence states of the prey with only one species of predators. Using a high‐dimensional shooting method, the Wazewski' principle, we establish the conditions for the existence of traveling wave solutions from E_K to E₂ and from E₁ to E₂. These results show that the advantageous species v₂ always win in the competition and exclude species v₁ eventually. Finally, some numerical simulations are presented, and biological interpretations are given. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Asymptotic Distribution of Nodes for Near-Optimal Polynomial Interpolation on Certain Curves in R 2

Let E\subset \Bbb R ^s be compact and let d _n ^E denote the dimension of the space of polynomials of degree at most n in s variables restricted to E . We introduce the notion of an asymptotic interpolation measure (AIM). Such a measure, if it exists , describes the asymptotic behavior of any scheme τ _n ={ \bf x _k,n } _k=1 ^dnE , n=1,2,\ldots , of nodes for multivariate polynomial interpolation for which the norms of the corresponding interpolation operators do not grow geometrically large with n . We demonstrate the existence of AIMs for the finite union of compact subsets of certain algebraic curves in R ² . It turns out that the theory of logarithmic potentials with external fields plays a useful role in the investigation. Furthermore, for the sets mentioned above, we give a computationally simple construction for ``good' interpolation schemes. November 9, 2000. Date revised: August 4, 2001. Date accepted: September 14, 2001.     

Rates of Best Uniform Rational Approximation of Analytic Functions by Ray Sequences of Rational Functions

In this paper, problems related to the approximation of a holomorphic function f on a compact subset E of the complex plane C by rational functions from the class of all rational functions of order (n,m) are considered. Let ρ _n,m = ρ _n,m (f;E) be the distance of f in the uniform metric on E from the class . We obtain results characterizing the rate of convergence to zero of the sequence of the best rational approximation { ρ _n,m(n) } _n=0 ^∞ , m(n)/n → θ ∈ (0,1] as n → ∞ . In particular, we give an upper estimate for the liminf _{n →∞} ρ _n,m(n) ^1/(n+m(n)) in terms of the solution to a certain minimum energy problem with respect to the logarithmic potential. The proofs of the results obtained are based on the methods of the theory of Hankel operators. June 16, 1997. Date revised: December 1, 1997. Date accepted: December 1, 1997. Communicated by Ronald A. DeVore.     

Disturbing the Dyson conjecture, in a generally GOOD way

Dyson's celebrated constant term conjecture [F.J. Dyson, Statistical theory of the energy levels of complex systems I, J. Math. Phys. 3 (1962) 140-156] states that the constant term in the expansion of _∏1≦i≠j≦naj(1−xi/xj) is the multinomial coefficient (a₁+a₂+?+an)!/(a₁!a₂!?an!). The definitive proof was given by I.J. Good [I.J. Good, Short proof of a conjecture of Dyson, J. Math. Phys. 11 (1970) 1884]. Later, Andrews extended Dyson's conjecture to a q-analog [G.E. Andrews, Problems and prospects for basic hypergeometric functions, in: R. Askey (Ed.), The Theory and Application of Special Functions, Academic Press, New York, 1975, pp. 191-224]. In this paper, closed form expressions are given for the coefficients of several other terms in the Dyson product, and are proved using an extension of Good's idea. Also, conjectures for the corresponding q-analogs are supplied. Finally, perturbed versions of the q-Dixon summation formula are presented.     

New types of 3-D systems of quadratic differential equations with chaotic dynamics based on Ricker discrete population model

The wide class of 3-D autonomous systems of quadratic differential equations, in each of which either there is a couple of coexisting limit cycles or there is a couple of coexisting chaotic attractors, is found. In the second case the couple consists of either Lorentz-type attractor and another attractor of a new type or two Lorentz-type attractors. It is shown that the chaotic behavior of any system of the indicated class can be described by the Ricker discrete population model: z_i+1 = z_i exp(r − z_i), r > 0, z_i > 0, i = 0, 1, … . The values of parameters, at which in the 3-D system appears either the couple of limit cycles or the couple of chaotic attractors, or only one limit cycle, or only one sphere-shaped chaotic attractor, are indicated. Examples are given.     

Bound states of a system of two fermions on a one-dimensional lattice

We consider the Hamiltonian of a system of two fermions on a one-dimensional integer lattice. We prove that the number of bound states N(k) is a nondecreasing function of the total quasimomentum of the system k ∈ [0, π]. We describe the set of discontinuity points of N(k) and evaluate the jump N(k +0) − N(k) at the discontinuity points. We establish that the bound-state energy z _n (k) increases as the total quasimomentum k ∈ [0, π] increases. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Matematicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 147, No. 1, pp. 47–57, April, 2006.     

On the Degree of Approximation by Manifolds of Finite Pseudo-Dimension

The pseudo-dimension of a real-valued function class is an extension of the VC dimension for set-indicator function classes. A class of finite pseudo-dimension possesses a useful statistical smoothness property. In [10] we introduced a nonlinear approximation width = which measures the worst-case approximation error over all functions by the best manifold of pseudo-dimension n . In this paper we obtain tight upper and lower bounds on ρ _n (W ^r,d _p , L _q ) , both being a constant factor of n ^-r/d , for a Sobolev class W ^r,d _p , . As this is also the estimate of the classical Alexandrov nonlinear n -width, our result proves that approximation of W ^r,d _p by the family of manifolds of pseudo-dimension n is as powerful as approximation by the family of all nonlinear manifolds with continuous selection operators. March 12, 1997. Dates revised: August 26, 1997, October 24, 1997, March 16, 1998, June 15, 1998. Date accepted: June 25, 1998.     

On <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> × <Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis>-valued Łukasiewicz-Moisil algebras

n×m-valued Łukasiewicz algebras with negation were introduced and investigated in [20, 22, 23]. These algebras constitute a non trivial generalization of n-valued Łukasiewicz-Moisil algebras and in what follows, we shall call them n×m-valued Łukasiewicz-Moisil algebras (or LM _n×m -algebras). In this paper, the study of this new class of algebras is continued. More precisely, a topological duality for these algebras is described and a characterization of LM _n×m -congruences in terms of special subsets of the associated space is shown. Besides, it is determined which of these subsets correspond to principal congruences. In addition, it is proved that the variety of LM _n×m -algebras is a discriminator variety and as a consequence, certain properties of the congruences are obtained. Finally, the number of congruences of a finite LM _n×m -algebra is computed.      

Extensions and biextensions of locally constant group schemes,tori and abelian schemes

Let S be a scheme. We compute explicitly the group of homomorphisms, the S-sheaf of homomorphisms, the group of extensions, and the S-sheaf of extensions involving locally constant S-group schemes, abelian S-schemes, and S-tori. Using the obtained results, we study the categories of biextensions involving these geometrical objects. In particular, we prove that if G _i (for i = 1, 2, 3) is an extension of an abelian S-scheme A _i by an S-torus T _i , the category of biextensions of (G ₁, G ₂) by G ₃ is equivalent to the category of biextensions of the underlying abelian S-schemes (A ₁, A ₂) by the underlying S-torus T ₃.      

LMI Approach to Robust Delay-Dependent Mixed H 2/H ∞ Controller of Uncertain Neutral Systems with Discrete and Distributed Time-Varying Delays

The design of a robust mixed H ₂/H _∞ controller for a class of uncertain neutral systems with discrete, distributed, and input time-varying delays is considered. More precisely, the proposed robust mixed H ₂/H _∞ controller minimizes an upper bound of the H ₂ performance measure, while guaranteeing an H _∞ norm bound constraint. Based on the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional theory, a delay-dependent criterion is derived for the existence of a desired mixed H ₂/H _∞ controller, which can be constructed easily via feasible linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Furthermore, a convex optimization problem satisfying some LMI constraints is formulated to obtain a suboptimal robust mixed H ₂/H _∞ controller achieving the minimization of an upper bound of the closed-loop H ₂ performance measure. Finally, a numerical example is illustrated to show the usefulness of the obtained design method.The research reported here was supported by the National Science Council of Taiwan, ROC under Grant NSC 94-2213-E-507-002.     

Geometrical solutions of some quadratic equations with non-real roots

This note gives geometrical/graphical methods of finding solutions of the quadratic equation ax ² + bx + c = 0, a p 0, with non-real roots. Three different cases which give rise to non-real roots of the quadratic equation have been discussed. In case I a geometrical construction and its proof for finding the solutions of the quadratic equation ax ² + bx + c = 0, a p 0, when a,b,c ] R, the set of real numbers, are presented. Case II deals with the geometrical solutions of the quadratic equation ax ² + bx + c = 0, a p 0, when b ] R, the set of real numbers; and a,c ] C, the set of complex numbers. Finally, the solutions of the quadratic equation ax ² + bx + c = 0, a p 0, when a,c ] R, the set of real numbers, and b ] C, the set of complex numbers, are presented in case III.     

On the ε-entropy of classes of holomorphic functions

Suppose thatB _R ^d is a ball of radiusR in ℂ ^d and σ is the standard measure on the unit sphere in ℂ ^d . ForR>1, 1≤p≤∞, and for the natural numbersl, d, byH _R ⁰ (l, p, d) we denote the class of functionsf holomorphic inB _R ^d and such that in the homogeneous polynomial expansion of the firstl summands the zero and radial derivatives of orderl belong to the closed unit ball of the Hardy spaceH ^p (B _R ^d ). In this paper an asymptotic formula for the ε-entropy of the classH _R ⁰ (l, p, d) in the spacesL ^p (σ), 1≤p<∞, and is obtained. Translated fromMatematicheskie Zametki, Vol. 68, No. 2, pp. 286–293, August, 2000.     

Commutativity for a Certain Class of Rings

We first establish the commutativity for the semiprime ring satisfying [x ⁿ , y]x ^r = ±y ^s[x, y ^m]y ^t for all x, y in R, where m, n, r, s, and t are fixed non-negative integers, and further, we investigate the commutativity of rings with unity under some additional hypotheses. Moreover, it is also shown that the above result is true for s-unital rings. Also, we provide some counterexamples which show that the hypotheses of our theorems are not altogether superfluous. The results of this paper generalize some of the well-known commutativity theorems for rings which are right s-unital.