On a new condition for strictly positive definite functions on spheres

Recently, Xu and Cheney (1992) have proved that if all the Legendre coefficients of a zonal function defined on a sphere are positive then the function is strictly positive definite. It will be shown in this paper that, even if finitely many of the Legendre coefficients are zero, the strict positive definiteness can be assured. The results are based on approximation properties of singular integrals, and provide also a completely different proof of the results of Xu and Cheney.

     

四次函数实零点的完全判据和正定条件

本文给出了四次函数实零点的完全判据和正定条件,这一结果在研究多项式系统的奇点分析和分支问题时给出了可以实用的判据．     

Positivity and positive definiteness in generalized function algebras

The definitions of positivity and positive definiteness are extended to generalized function algebras in coherence with the corresponding notions for distributions. Versions of Bochner's theorem for a positive definite Colombeau generalized function are given.     

The mean value theorem and analytic functions of a complex variable

The mean value theorem for real-valued differentiable functions defined on an interval is one of the most fundamental results in Analysis. When it comes to complex-valued functions the theorem fails even if the function is differentiable throughout the complex plane. we illustrate this by means of examples and also present three results of a positive nature.     

基于n次型正定性的多元函数极值判别法

针对多元函数稳定点处二阶偏导数全为0的情况,提出了有效的极值判别法.定义了广义n维方阵、n次型及其正定性;提出了更具普遍意义的极值充分条件;得到了利用n次型的正定性判断n元函数极值的方法并举例验证了结论的正确性和有效性.     

Decompositions of positive self-dual boolean functions

A coterie, which is used to realize mutual exclusion in distributed systems, is a family C of subsets such that any pair of subsets in C has at least one element in common, and such that no subset in C contains any other subset in C. Associate with a family of subsets C a positive Boolean function f_c such that f_c(x) = 1 if the Boolean vector x is equal to or greater than the characteristic vector of some subset in C, and 0 otherwise. It is known that C is a coterie if and only if f_c is dual-minor, and is a non-dominated (ND) coterie if and only if f_c is self-dual. We study in this paper the decomposition of a positive self-dual function into smaller positive self-dual functions, as it explains how to represent and how to construct the corresponding ND coterie. A key step is how to decompose a positive dual-minor function f into a conjunction of positive self-dual functions f₁,f₂,…, f_k. In addition to the general condition for this decomposition, we clarify the condition for the decomposition into two functions f₁, and f₂, and introduce the concept of canonical decomposition. Then we present an algorithm that determines a minimal canonical decomposition, and a very simple algorithm that usually gives a decomposition close to minimal. The decomposition of a general self-dual function is also discussed.     

Multiscale kernels

This paper reconstructs multivariate functions from scattered data by a new multiscale technique. The reconstruction uses standard methods of interpolation by positive definite reproducing kernels in Hilbert spaces. But it adopts techniques from wavelet theory and shift-invariant spaces to construct a new class of kernels as multiscale superpositions of shifts and scales of a single compactly supported function φ. This means that the advantages of scaled regular grids are used to construct the kernels, while the advantages of unrestricted scattered data interpolation are maintained after the kernels are constructed. Using such a multiscale kernel, the reconstruction method interpolates at given scattered data. No manipulations of the data (e.g., thinning or separation into subsets of certain scales) are needed. Then, the multiscale structure of the kernel allows to represent the interpolant on regular grids on all scales involved, with cheap evaluation due to the compact support of the function φ, and with a recursive evaluation technique if φ is chosen to be refinable. There also is a wavelet-like data reduction effect, if a suitable thresholding strategy is applied to the coefficients of the interpolant when represented over a scaled grid. Various numerical examples are presented, illustrating the multiresolution and data compression effects.     

Any 2-asummable bipartite function is weighted threshold

Possible characterizations of which positive boolean functions are weighted threshold were studied in the 60s and 70s. It is known that a boolean function is weighted threshold if and only if it is k-asummable for every value of k. Furthermore, for some particular subfamilies of functions (those with up to eight variables, and graph functions), it is known that a function is weighted threshold if and only if it is 2-asummable.In this work we prove that bipartite functions also satisfy this property: a bipartite function is weighted threshold if and only if it is 2-asummable. In a bipartite function the set of variables can be partitioned in two classes, such that all the variables in the same class play exactly the same role in the function.     

A Definiteness Theory for Cubature Formulae of Order Two

Let Ω ⊂ ℝ^d be a compact convex set of positive measure. A cubature formula will be called positive definite (or a pd-formula, for short) if it approximates the integral ∫_Ω f(x) dx of every convex function f from below. The pd-formulae yield a simple sharp error bound for twice continuously differentiable functions. In the univariate case (d = 1), they are the quadrature formulae with a positive semidefinite Peano kernel of order two. As one of the main results, we show that there is a correspondence between pd-formulae and partitions of unity on Ω. This is a key for an investigation of pd-formulae without employing the complicated multivariate analogue of Peano kernels. After introducing a preorder, we establish criteria for maximal pd-formulae. We also find a lower bound for the error constant of an optimal pd-formula. Finally, we describe a phenomenon which resembles a property of Gaussian formulae.     

Recent developments in error estimates for scattered-data interpolation via radial basis functions

Error estimates for scattered data interpolation by shifts of a positive definite function for target functions in the associated reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) have been known for a long time. However, apart from special cases where data is gridded, these interpolation estimates do not apply when the target functions generating the data are outside of the associated RKHS, and in fact until very recently no estimates were known in such situations. In this paper, we review these estimates in cases where the underlying space is Rⁿ and the positive definite functions are radial basis functions (RBFs). AMS subject classification 41A25, 41A05, 41A63, 42B35Research supported by grant DMS-0204449 from the National Science Foundation.     

Complete controllability and contractibility in multimodal systems

The concept of a strictly positive definite set of Hermitian matrices is introduced. It is shown that a strictly positive definite set is always a positive definite set, and conditions are found under which a positive definite set is strictly positive definite. We also show that a set of Hermitian matrices is strictly positive definite if and only if some nonnegative linear combination of these matrices is a positive definite matrix. For state dimension two, we use this concept to find necessary and sufficient conditions for a two-mode completely controllable irreducible multimodal system to be contractible relative to an elliptic norm. For general state dimensions, we give necessary and sufficient conditions for a special-type two-mode completely controllable irreducible system to be contractible relative to a weakly monotone norm. Applying the above results, we show that, for state dimension two, there exists a completely controllable two-mode system which is not contractible relative to either an elliptic or a weakly monotone norm. We leave open the question whether or not complete controllability implies contractibility, relative to some norm, for multimodal systems of two or more modes.     

Objective function and logarithmic barrier function properties in convex programming: level sets,solution attainment and strict convexity *

We give several results, some new and some old, but apparently overlooked, that provide useful characterizations of barrier functions and their relationship to problem function properties. In particular, we show that level sets of a barrier function are bounded if and only if feasible level sets of the objective function are bounded and we obtain conditions that imply solution existence, strict convexity or a positive definite Hessian of a barrier function. Attention is focused on convex programs and the logarithmic barrier function. Such results suggest that it would seem possible to extend many recent complexity results by relaxing feasible set compactness to the feasible objective function level set boundedness assumption.     

Approximation with Constraints by Conditionally Positive Definite Functions

This paper deals with interpolation and approximation satisfying constraints. We consider approximation by conditionally positive definite functions in norms which are associated with the conditionally positive definite functions. The theory of reproducing kernels is used to transform the approximation problems to quadratic optimization problems. Then we can give the existence, characterization and uniqueness results for the solutions. The methods of optimization theory can be used in order to determine solutions.     

Generalized Bochner’s Theorem for radial function

A radial function Φ(x) can be expressed by its generator ?(·) through Φ(x)=?(‖x‖). The positive de finite of the function Φ plays an important role in the radial basis interpolation. We can naturally use Bochner’s Theorem to check if Φ is positive de finite. This requires however a n-dimensional Fourier transformation and it is not very easy to calculate. Furthermore in a lot of cases we will use ? for spaces of various dimensions too, then for every fixed n we need do the Fourier transformation once to check if the function is positive definite in the n-dimensional space. The completely monotone function, which is discussed in [4], is positive definite for arbitrary space dimensions. With this technique we can very easily characterize the positive definite of a radial function through its generator. Unfortunately there is only a very small subset of radial function which is completely monotone. Thus this criterion excluded a lot of interesting functions such as compactly supported radial function, which are very use ful in application. Can we find some conditions (as the completely monotone function) only for the 1-dimensional Fourier transform of the generator ? to characterize a radial function Φ, which is positive definite in n-dimensional (fixed n) space? In this paper we defined a kind of incompletely monotone function of order α, for α=0, 1/2, 1, 3/2, 2, … (we denote the function class by ICM), in this sence a normal positvie function is in ICM₀; a positive monotone decreasing function is in ICM₁ and a positive monotone decreasing and convex function is in ICM₂. Based on this definition we get a generalized Bochner’s Theorem for radial function: If1-dimensional Fourier transform of the generator of a radial function can be written as $F{}_1\varphi (t) = \tilde F(\frac{{t^2 }}{2})$ , then corresponding radial function Φ(x) is positive definite as a n-variate function iff $\tilde F$ is an incompletely monotone function of order α=(n-1)/2 (or simply $\tilde F \in ICM_{\frac{{n - 1}}{2}} $ .     

Growth behavior of a class of merit functions for the nonlinear complementarity problem

When the nonlinear complementarity problem is reformulated as that of finding the zero of a self-mapping, the norm of the selfmapping serves naturally as a merit function for the problem. We study the growth behavior of such a merit function. In particular, we show that, for the linear complementarity problem, whether the merit function is coercive is intimately related to whether the underlying matrix is aP-matrix or a nondegenerate matrix or anR _o-matrix. We also show that, for the more popular choices of the merit function, the merit function is bounded below by the norm of the natural residual raised to a positive integral power. Thus, if the norm of the natural residual has positive order of growth, then so does the merit function.This work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation Grant No. CCR-93-11621.The author thanks Dr. Christian Kanzow for his many helpful comments on a preliminary version of this paper. He also thanks the referees for their helpful suggestions.     

Positive definite completions of partial Hermitian matrices

The question of which partial Hermitian matrices (some entries specified, some free) may be completed to positive definite matrices is addressed. It is shown that if the diagonal entries are specified and principal minors, composed of specified entries, are positive, then, if the undirected graph of the specified entries is chordal, a positive definite completion necessarily exists. Furthermore, if this graph is not chordal, then examples exist without positive definite completions. In case a positive definite completion exists, there is a unique matrix, in the class of all positive definite completions, whose determinant is maximal, and this matrix is the unique one whose inverse has zeros in those positions corresponding to unspecified entries in the original partial Hermitian matrix. Additional observations regarding positive definite completions are made.     

Semigroups of Herz–Schur multipliers

In order to investigate the relationship between weak amenability and the Haagerup property for groups, we introduce the weak Haagerup property, and we prove that having this approximation property is equivalent to the existence of a semigroup of Herz–Schur multipliers generated by a proper function (see Theorem 1.2). It is then shown that a (not necessarily proper) generator of a semigroup of Herz–Schur multipliers splits into a positive definite kernel and a conditionally negative definite kernel. We also show that the generator has a particularly pleasant form if and only if the group is amenable. In the second half of the paper we study semigroups of radial Herz–Schur multipliers on free groups. We prove that a generator of such a semigroup is linearly bounded by the word length function (see Theorem 1.6).     

Note on the Set of Bragg Peaks with High Intensity

We consider diffraction of Delone sets in Euclidean space. We show that the set of Bragg peaks with high intensity is always Meyer (if it is relatively dense). We use this to provide a new characterization for Meyer sets in terms of positive and positive definite measures. Our results are based on a careful study of positive definite measures, which may be of interest in its own right.     

Reflection positivity on real intervals

We study functions \(f : (a,b) \rightarrow {{\mathbb {R}}}\) on open intervals in \({{\mathbb {R}}}\) with respect to various kinds of positive and negative definiteness conditions. We say that f is positive definite if the kernel \(f\big (\frac{x + y}{2}\big )\) is positive definite. We call f negative definite if, for every \(h > 0\), the function \(e^{-hf}\) is positive definite. Our first main result is a Lévy–Khintchine formula (an integral representation) for negative definite functions on arbitrary intervals. For \((a,b) = (0,\infty )\) it generalizes classical results by Bernstein and Horn. On a symmetric interval \((-a,a)\), we call f reflection positive if it is positive definite and, in addition, the kernel \(f\big (\frac{x - y}{2}\big )\) is positive definite. We likewise define reflection negative functions and obtain a Lévy–Khintchine formula for reflection negative functions on all of \({{\mathbb {R}}}\). Finally, we obtain a characterization of germs of reflection negative functions on 0-neighborhoods in \({{\mathbb {R}}}\).