Convergence properties of sequences of functions with application to restricted derivative approximation

Convergence properties of sequences of continuous functions, with kth order divided differences bounded from above or below, are studied. It is found that for such sequences, convergence in a “monotone norm” (e.g., L_p) on [a, b] to a continuous function implies uniform convergence of the sequence and its derivatives up to order k − 1 (whenever they exist), in any closed subinterval of [a, b]. Uniform convergence in the closed interval [a, b] follows from the boundedness from below and above of the kth order divided differences. These results are applied to the estimation of the degree of approximation in Monotone and Restricted Derivative approximation, via bounds for the same problems with only one restricted derivative.     

Proof of the conjectures of Bernstein and Erdös concerning the optimal nodes for polynomial interpolation

Convergence properties of sequences of continuous functions, with kth order divided differences bounded from above or below, are studied. It is found that for such sequences, convergence in a “monotone norm” (e.g., L_p) on [a, b] to a continuous function implies uniform convergence of the sequence and its derivatives up to order k ? 1 (whenever they exist), in any closed subinterval of [a, b]. Uniform convergence in the closed interval [a, b] follows from the boundedness from below and above of the kth order divided differences. These results are applied to the estimation of the degree of approximation in Monotone and Restricted Derivative approximation, via bounds for the same problems with only one restricted derivative.     

Three-Convex Approximation by Free Knot Splines in C [0, 1]

A Jackson-type estimate is obtained for the approximation of 3 -convex functions by 3 -convex splines with free knots. The order of approximation is the same as for the Jackson-type estimate for unconstrained approximation by splines with free knots. Shape-preserving free knot spline approximation of k -convex functions, k > 3 , is also considered. January 15, 1996. Date revised: December 9, 1996.     

Continuous selections and convergence of best Lp –approximations in subspaces of spline functions

The chief purpose of this paper is to study the problem of existence of continuous selections for the metric projection and of convergence of best L_p–approximations in subspaces of polynomial spline functions defined on a real compact interval I. Nürnberger-Sommer [8] have shown that there exists a continuous selection s if and only if the numberof knots k is less than or equal to the order m of the splines. Using their construction of s the author [12] has proved that the sequence of best L_p–approximations of f converges to s(f) as ρ→∞ for every continuous function f. The main results of this paper say that also in the case when k>m there exists always a continuous selection s (it is even pointwise-Lipschitz-continuous and quasi-linear) provided that the approximation problem is restricted to certain subsets I_epsilon; of I. In addition it is shown that anologously as for k≤m the sequence of best L_papproximations of f converges to s(f) for every continuous function f on Iε     

Perfect spline approximation

Our study of perfect spline approximation reveals: (i) it is closely related to ΣΔ modulation used in one-bit quantization of bandlimited signals. In fact, they share the same recursive formulae, although in different contexts; (ii) the best rate of approximation by perfect splines of order r with equidistant knots of mesh size h is h^r−1. This rate is optimal in the sense that a function can be approximated with a better rate if and only if it is a polynomial of degree <r.The uniqueness of best approximation is studied, too. Along the way, we also give a result on an extremal problem, that is, among all perfect splines with integer knots on , (multiples of) Euler splines have the smallest possible norms.     

Free-knot spline approximation of stochastic processes

We study optimal approximation of stochastic processes by polynomial splines with free knots. The number of free knots is either a priori fixed or may depend on the particular trajectory. For the s-fold integrated Wiener process as well as for scalar diffusion processes we determine the asymptotic behavior of the average L_p-distance to the splines spaces, as the (expected) number of free knots tends to infinity.     

On 3-monotone approximation by piecewise polynomials

We consider 3-monotone approximation by piecewise polynomials with prescribed knots. A general theorem is proved, which reduces the problem of 3-monotone uniform approximation of a 3-monotone function, to convex local L₁ approximation of the derivative of the function. As the corollary we obtain Jackson-type estimates on the degree of 3-monotone approximation by piecewise polynomials with prescribed knots. Such estimates are well known for monotone and convex approximation, and to the contrary, they in general are not valid for higher orders of monotonicity. Also we show that any convex piecewise polynomial can be modified to be, in addition, interpolatory, while still preserving the degree of the uniform approximation. Alternatively, we show that we may smooth the approximating piecewise polynomials to be twice continuously differentiable, while still being 3-monotone and still keeping the same degree of approximation.     

Approximation ofk-Monotone Functions

It is shown that an algebraic polynomial of degree k−1 which interpolates ak-monotone functionfatkpoints, sufficiently approximates it, even if the points of interpolation are close to each other. It is well known that this result is not true in general for non-k-monotone functions. As an application, we prove a (positive) result on simultaneous approximation of ak-monotone function and its derivatives inL_p, 0<p<1, metric, and also show that the rate of the best algebraic approximation ofk-monotone functions (with bounded (k−2)nd derivatives inL_p, 1<p<∞, iso(n^−k/p).     

Error estimates and superconvergence of semidiscrete mixed methods for optimal control problems governed by hyperbolic equations

In this paper, we investigate the L ^??(L ₂)-error estimates and superconvergence of the semidiscrete mixed finite elementmethods for quadratic optimal control problems governed by linear hyperbolic equations. The state and the co-state are discretized by the order k Raviart-Thomas mixed finite element spaces and the control is approximated by piecewise polynomials of order k(k ?? 0). We derive error estimates for approximation of both state and control. Moreover, we present the superconvergence analysis for mixed finite element approximation of the optimal control problems.     

Free multivariate splines

We introduce a definition of free multivariate splines which generalizes the univariate notion of splines with free knots. We then concentrate on the simplest case, piecewise constant functions and characterize some classes of functions which have a prescribed order of approximation inL _p by these splines. These characterizations involve the classical Besov spaces.     

Three-monotone spline approximation

For r≥3, n∈N and each 3-monotone continuous function f on [a,b] (i.e., f is such that its third divided differences [x₀,x₁,x₂,x₃]f are nonnegative for all choices of distinct points x₀,…,x₃ in [a,b]), we construct a spline s of degree r and of minimal defect (i.e., s∈C^r−1[a,b]) with n−1 equidistant knots in (a,b), which is also 3-monotone and satisfies ‖f−s‖_L∞[a,b]≤cω₄(f,n⁻¹,[a,b])_∞, where ω₄(f,t,[a,b])_∞ is the (usual) fourth modulus of smoothness of f in the uniform norm. This answers in the affirmative the question raised in [8, Remark 3], which was the only remaining unproved Jackson-type estimate for uniform 3-monotone approximation by piecewise polynomial functions (ppfs) with uniformly spaced fixed knots.Moreover, we also prove a similar estimate in terms of the Ditzian–Totik fourth modulus of smoothness for splines with Chebyshev knots, and show that these estimates are no longer valid in the case of 3-monotone spline approximation in the L_p norm with p<∞. At the same time, positive results in the L_p case with p<∞ are still valid if one allows the knots of the approximating ppf to depend on f while still being controlled.These results confirm that 3-monotone approximation is the transition case between monotone and convex approximation (where most of the results are “positive”) and k-monotone approximation with k≥4 (where just about everything is “negative”).     

Property A in an Infinite-Dimensional Space. I

   Abstract. We prove that an infinite-dimensional space of piecewise polynomial functions of degree at most n-1 with infinitely many simple knots, n ≥ 2 , satisfies Property A. Apart from its independent interest, this result allows us to solve an open classical problem (n ≥ 3 ) in theory of best approximation: the uniqueness of best L ₁ -approximation by n -convex functions to an integrable, continuous function defined on a bounded interval. In this first part of the paper we prove the case n=2 and give key results in order to complete the general proof in the second part.     

The almost chebyshev property in linear semi-infinite programming

We consider a linear semi-infinite programming problem where the index set of the constraints is compact and the constraint functions are continuous on it. The set of all continuous functions on this index set as right hand sides are the parameter set. We investigate how large various unicity sets are.We state a condition on the objective function vector and the “matrix” of the problem which characterizes when the set of a parameters with a non-unique optimal point is a set of the first Baire category in the solvability set. This is the case if and only if the unicity set is a dense subset of the solvability set. Under the same assumptions it is even true that the interior of the strong unicity set is I also dense. If the index set of the constraints contains a dense subset with the property that each point1 is a G ₈-set, then the parameters of the strong unicity set, such that the optimal point satisfies the linear independence constraint qualification, are also dense.

We apply our results to a characterization of a unique continuous selection for the optimal set I mapping and to a one-sided L ₁-approximation problem     

Polyharmonic Approximation on the Sphere

The purpose of this article is to provide new error estimates for a popular type of spherical basis function (SBF) approximation on the sphere: approximating by linear combinations of Green’s functions of polyharmonic differential operators. We show that the L _p approximation order for this kind of approximation is σ for functions having L _p smoothness σ (for σ up to the order of the underlying differential operator, just as in univariate spline theory). This improves previous error estimates, which penalized the approximation order when measuring error in L _p , p>2 and held only in a restrictive setting when measuring error in L _p , p<2.     

Multivariate approximation in the worst case setting over reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces

We study the worst case setting for approximation of d variate functions from a general reproducing kernel Hilbert space with the error measured in the L_∞ norm. We mainly consider algorithms that use n arbitrary continuous linear functionals. We look for algorithms with the minimal worst case errors and for their rates of convergence as n goes to infinity. Algorithms using n function values will be analyzed in a forthcoming paper.We show that the L_∞ approximation problem in the worst case setting is related to the weighted L₂ approximation problem in the average case setting with respect to a zero-mean Gaussian stochastic process whose covariance function is the same as the reproducing kernel of the Hilbert space. This relation enables us to find optimal algorithms and their rates of convergence for the weighted Korobov space with an arbitrary smoothness parameter α>1, and for the weighted Sobolev space whose reproducing kernel corresponds to the Wiener sheet measure. The optimal convergence rates are n^-(α-1)/2 and n^-1/2, respectively.We also study tractability of L_∞ approximation for the absolute and normalized error criteria, i.e., how the minimal worst case errors depend on the number of variables, d, especially when d is arbitrarily large. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions on tractability of L_∞ approximation in terms of tractability conditions of the weighted L₂ approximation in the average case setting. In particular, tractability holds in weighted Korobov and Sobolev spaces only for weights tending sufficiently fast to zero and does not hold for the classical unweighted spaces.     

A remark on the rate of convergence for a mixed finite element method for second order problems

A mixed finite element method for second order elliptic problems is considered, where the solution u of the problem and grad u are approximated separately.

It is known that with respect to the L ₂-norm the approximation of grad u converges with the same rate as the approximation of u does if the solution is sufficiently smooth. The aim of this note is to show that except a logarithmic term the same holds true with respect to the L _∞-norm.     

On approximation of functions from below by splines of the best approximation with free nodes

Let M be the set of functions integrable to the power β=(r+1+1/p)^-1. We obtain asymptotically exact lower bounds for the approximation of individual functions from the set M by splines of the best approximation of degree rand defect k in the metric of L _p.     

Optimale hermite-interpolation differenzierbarer periodischer Funktionen

For the Favard class F_r in the space C_2π of continuous 2π-periodic functions we solve the following problem. Given x and knots x₀< x₁ < ··· < x_v−1., x_u− 2π we determine weights x_ki(0 k · n, 0 j < r) such that is minimal. The optimal weights are unique (except for a trivial case) and we obtain them from a system of periodic polynomial splines u_kj(0 k < n, 0 j< r): α_kj = u_kj(x). These splines induce an interpolation operator whose degree of approximation with respect to the class F_r is minimal if the knots are equidistant. Finally, we describe an efficient numerical procedure which shows how to compute the interpolation spline in the equidistant case.     

Weak Chebyshev Subspaces and Continuous Selections for Parametric Projections

We examine the existence of continuous selections for the parametric projection onto weak Chebyshev subspaces. In particular, we show that if is the class of polynomial splines of degree n with the k fixed knots then the parametric projection admits a continuous selection if and only if the number of knots does not exceed the degree of splines plus one. February 15, 1996. Date revised: September 16, 1996.     

Heat kernel expansions on the integers and the Toda lattice hierarchy

We consider the heat equation u _t = Lu where L is a second-order difference operator in a discrete variable n. The fundamental solution has an expansion in terms of the Bessel functions of imaginary argument. The coefficients α _k (n, m) in this expansion are analogs of Hadamard’s coefficients for the (continuous) Schr?dinger operator. We derive an explicit formula for α _k in terms of the wave and the adjoint wave functions of the Toda lattice hierarchy. As a first application of this result, we prove that the values of these coefficients on the diagonals n = m and n = m + 1 define a hierarchy of differential-difference equations which is equivalent to the Toda lattice hierarchy. Using this fact and the correspondence between commutative rings of difference operators and algebraic curves we show that the fundamental solution can be summed up, giving a finite formula involving only two Bessel functions with polynomial coefficients in the time variable t, if and only if the operator L belongs to the family of bispectral operators constructed in [18].