The critical exponent for continuous conventional powers of doubly nonnegative matrices

We prove that there exists an exponent beyond which all continuous conventional powers of n-by-n doubly nonnegative matrices are doubly nonnegative. We show that this critical exponent cannot be less than n-2 and we conjecture that it is always n-2 (as it is with Hadamard powering). We prove this conjecture when n<6 and in certain other special cases. We establish a quadratic bound for the critical exponent in general.     

On the range of recurrent Markov chains

Let {X_n}₀^∞ be an irreducible recurrent Markov Chain on the nonnegative integers. A result of Chosid and Isaac (1978) gives a sufficient condition for n^?1R_n → 0 w.p.1. where R_n is the range of the chain. We give an alternative proof using Kingman's subadditive ergodic theorem (Kingman, 1973). Some examples are also given.     

Analytic semigroups generated in L 1(Ω) by second order elliptic operators via duality methods

Given an open domain (possibly unbounded) Ω?R ⁿ , we prove that uniformly elliptic second order differential operators, under nontangential boundary conditions, generate analytic semigroups in L ¹(Ω). We use a duality method, and, further, give estimates of first order derivatives for the resolvent and the semigroup, through properties of the generator in Sobolev spaces of negative order.     

Nonnegative solutions of an elliptic equation with a singular potential

We study the behavior of nonnegative solutions of the Dirichlet problem for a linear elliptic equation with a singular potential in the ball B = B(0,R) ⊂ R ⁿ (n ≥ 3), R ≤ 1. We find an exact condition on the potential ensuring the existence or absence of a nonnegative solution of that problem.     

A just basis

An old problem of P. Erdös and P. Turán asks whether there is a basisA of order 2 for which the number of representationsn=a+a′, a,a′∈A is bounded. Erd?s conjectured that such a basis does not exist. We answer a related finite problem and find a basis for which the number of representations is bounded in the square mean. Writing σ (n)=|{(a, a ^t ) ∈A ²:a+a′=n}| we prove that there exists a setA of nonnegative integers that forms a basis of order 2 (that is,s(n)≥1 for alln), and satisfies ∑_{n ? N} σ(N)² = O(N).     

Topological change in mean convex mean curvature flow

Consider the mean curvature flow of an (n+1)-dimensional compact, mean convex region in Euclidean space (or, if n<7, in a Riemannian manifold). We prove that elements of the mth homotopy group of the complementary region can die only if there is a shrinking S ^k ×R ^n?k singularity for some k≤m. We also prove that for each m with 1≤m≤n, there is a nonempty open set of compact, mean convex regions K in R ⁿ⁺¹ with smooth boundary ?K for which the resulting mean curvature flow has a shrinking S ^m ×R ^n?m singularity.     

Nonnegative functions as squares or sums of squares

We prove that, for n?4, there are C^∞ nonnegative functions f of n variables (and even flat ones for n?5) which are not a finite sum of squares of C² functions. For n=1, where a decomposition in a sum of two squares is always possible, we investigate the possibility of writing f=g². We prove that, in general, one cannot require a better regularity than g∈C¹. Assuming that f vanishes at all its local minima, we prove that it is possible to get g∈C² but that one cannot require any additional regularity.     

The invertibility of rotation invariant Radon transforms

Let R_μ denote the Radon transform on Rⁿ that integrates a function over hyperplanes in given smooth positive measures μ depending on the hyperplane. We characterize the measures μ for which R_μ is rotation invariant. We prove rotation invariant transforms are all one-to-one and hence invertible on the domain of square integrable functions of compact support, L₀²(Rⁿ). We prove the hole theorem: if f?L₀²Rⁿ and R_μf = 0 for hyperplanes not intersecting a ball centered at the origin, then f is zero outside of that ball. Using the theory of Fourier integral operators, we extend these results to the domain of distributions of compact support on Rⁿ. Our results prove invertibility for a mathematical model of positron emission tomography and imply a hole theorem for the constantly attenuated Radon transform as well as invertibility for other Radon transforms.     

Wavelets frame associated to accretive function

We construct a frame associated to accretive function, and prove that it is complete in L²(Rⁿ). As an application, T(b) theorem for some kind of accretive function can be deduced naturally.     

Translation-Invariant Bilinear Operators with Positive Kernels

We study L ^r (or L ^{r, ∞}) boundedness for bilinear translation-invariant operators with nonnegative kernels acting on functions on \mathbb Rⁿ{\mathbb {R}^n}. We prove that if such operators are bounded on some products of Lebesgue spaces, then their kernels must necessarily be integrable functions on \mathbb R²ⁿ{\mathbb R^{2n}}, while via a counterexample we show that the converse statement is not valid. We provide certain necessary and some sufficient conditions on nonnegative kernels yielding boundedness for the corresponding operators on products of Lebesgue spaces. We also prove that, unlike the linear case where boundedness from L ¹ to L ¹ and from L ¹ to L ^{1, ∞} are equivalent properties, boundedness from L ¹ × L ¹ to L ^1/2 and from L ¹ × L ¹ to L ^{1/2, ∞} may not be equivalent properties for bilinear translation-invariant operators with nonnegative kernels.     

Approximations in the l∞ norm and the generalized inverse

We introduce the concept of a strict l_∞-metric projector, based in the definition of strict approximation, to prove that for each matrix A of order m×n with coefficients in the field R of real numbers there exists a set of operators G: R^m → Rⁿ homogeneous and continuous, but not necessarily linear (strict generalized inverse) such that AGA = A and 6AGy?y6 is minimized for all y, when the norm is the l_∞ norm. We investigate the properties of these operators and prove that there are two distinguished operators A^-1_{∞, β} and A^-1_∞ which are extensions of the generalized inverse introduced by Newman and Odell in the case of a strictly convex norm.     

Partitions of natural numbers with the same representation functions

For a set A of nonnegative integers the representation functions R₂(A,n), R₃(A,n) are defined as the number of solutions of the equation n=a+a^′,a,a^′∈A with a<a^′, a?a^′, respectively. Let D(0)=0 and let D(a) denote the number of ones in the binary representation of a. Let A₀ be the set of all nonnegative integers a with even D(a) and A₁ be the set of all nonnegative integers a with odd D(a). In this paper we show that (a) if R₂(A,n)=R₂(N?A,n) for all n?2N−1, then R₂(A,n)=R₂(N?A,n)?1 for all n?12N²−10N−2 except for A=A₀ or A=A₁; (b) if R₃(A,n)=R₃(N?A,n) for all n?2N−1, then R₃(A,n)=R₃(N?A,n)?1 for all n?12N²+2N. Several problems are posed in this paper.     

Semiperfect Prüfer rings and FPF rings

The Asano-Michler theorem states that a 2-sided order R in a simple Artinian ringO is hereditary provided thatR satisfies the three requirements: (AM1) Noetherian; (AM2) nonzero ideals are invertible; (AM3) bounded. We generalize this in one direction by specializing to a semiperfect bounded orderR, and prove thatR is semihereditary assuming only that finitely generated nonzero ideals are invertible (=R is Prüfer). In this case,R ≈ a fulln ×n matrix ringD _n over a valuation domainD. More generally, we study a ringR, called right FPF, over which finitely generated faithful right modules generate the category mod-R of all rightR-modules. We completely determine all semiperfect Noetherian FPF rings: they are finite products of semiperfect Dedekind prime rings and Quasi-Frobenius rings. (For semiprime right FPF rings, we do not require the Noetherian or semiperfect hypothesis in order to obtain a decom-position into prime rings: the acc on direct summands suffices. The “theorem” with “semiperfect” delected is an open problem.     

Linear transformations that preserve certain positivity classes of matrices

For each of several S ? R^n,n, those linear transformations $\text{L}\text{: R}{}^{\mathrm{n,n}}\text{→ R}{}^{\mathrm{n,n}}$ which map S onto S are characterized. Each class is a familiar one which generalizes the notion of positivity to matrices. The classes include: the matrices with nonnegative principal minors, the M-matrices, the totally nonnegative matrices, the D-stable matrices, the matrices with positive diagonal Lyapunov solutions, and the H-matrices, as well as other related classes. The set of transformations is somewhat different from case to case, but the strategy of proof, while differing in detail, is similar.     

On the correctness of the Cauchy problem for a linear differential system on an infinite interval

The conditions ensuring the correctness of the Cauchy problem $$\frac{{dx}}{{dt}} = P(t)x + q(t),x(t_0 ) = c_0$$ on the nonnegative half-axisR ₊ are found, whereP:R ₊→R ^n×n andq:R ₊→R ⁿ are locally summable matrix and vector functions, respectively,t ₀∈R ₊ andc ₀∈R ⁿ .     

Differentiable sphere theorems for submanifolds of positive k-th ricci curvature

We investigate the differentiable pinching problem for compact immersed submanifolds of positive k-th Ricci curvature, and prove that if M ⁿ is simply connected and the k-th Ricci curvature of M ⁿ is bounded below by a quantity involving the mean curvature of M ⁿ and the curvature of the ambient manifold, then M ⁿ is diffeomorphic to the standard sphere ${\mathbb{S}^n}$ . For the case where the ambient manifold is a space form with nonnegative constant curvature, we prove a differentiable sphere theorem without the assumption that the submanifold M ⁿ is simply connected. Motivated by a geometric rigidity theorem due to S. T. Yau and U. Simon, we prove a topological rigidity theorem for submanifolds in a space form.     

Polynomial images of R

Let R be a real closed field and n?2. We prove that: (1) for every finite subset F of Rⁿ, the semialgebraic set Rⁿ?F is a polynomial image of Rⁿ; and (2) for any independent linear forms l₁,…,l_r of Rⁿ, the semialgebraic set {l₁>0,…,l_r>0}⊂Rⁿ is a polynomial image of Rⁿ.     

On the fractional parts of the natural powers of a fixed number

Let ξ ≠ = 0 and α > 1 be reals. We prove that the fractional parts {ξ αⁿ}, n = 1, 2, 3, ..., take every value only finitely many times except for the case when α is the root of an integer: α = q ^1/d, where q ≥ 2 and d ≥ 1 are integers and ξ is a rational factor of a nonnegative integer power of α.     

Criteria of solvability for multidimensional Riccati equations

We study the solvability problem for the multidimensional Riccati equation ??u=|?u|^q+ω, whereq>1 and ω is an arbitrary nonnegative function (or measure). We also discuss connections with the classical problem of the existence of positive solutions for the Schrödinger equation ?Δu?ωu=0 with nonnegative potential ω. We establish explicit criteria for the existence of global solutions onR ⁿ in terms involving geometric (capacity) estimates or pointwise behavior of Riesz potentials, together with sharp pointwise estimates of solutions and their gradients. We also consider the corresponding nonlinear Dirichlet problem on a bounded domain, as well as more general equations of the type?Lu=f(x, u, ?u)+ω where , andL is a uniformly elliptic operator.     

Strong capacity-estimates for “fractional” norms

It is proved that for all fractionall the integral \(\int\limits_0^\infty {(p,\ell ) - cap(M_t )} dt^p\) is majorized by the P-th power norm of the functionu in the space ? _p ^l (Rⁿ) (here M_t={x∶¦u(x)¦?t} and (p,l)-cap(e) is the (p,l)-capacity of the compactum e?Rⁿ). Similar results are obtained for the spaces W _p ^l (Rⁿ) and the spaces of M. Riesz and Bessel potentials. One considers consequences regarding imbedding theorems of “fractional” spaces in ?_q(dμ), whereμ is a nonnegative measure in Rⁿ. One considers specially the case p=1.