Schoenberg’s Theorem for Positive Definite Functions on Products: A Unifying Framework

Journal of Fourier Analysis and Applications - The main contribution in the present paper is a characterization for positive definiteness and strict positive definiteness of a kernel on the product...     

Convexity of the inverse and Moore-Penrose inverse

Convexity properties of the inverse of positive definite matrices and the Moore-Penrose inverse of nonnegative definite matrices with respect to the partial ordering induced by nonnegative definiteness are studied. For the positive definite case null-space characterizations are derived, and lead naturally to a concept of strong convexity of a matrix function, extending the conventional concept of strict convexity. The positive definite results are shown to allow for a unified analysis of problems in reproducing kernel Hilbert space theory and inequalities involving matrix means. The main results comprise a detailed study of the convexity properties of the Moore-Penrose inverse, providing extensions and generalizations of all the earlier work in this area.     

Strong monotonicity for various means

Point-wise monotonicity (in parameters) for various one-parameter families of scalar means such as power difference means, binomial means and Stolarsky means is well known, but norm comparison for corresponding operator means requires monotonicity in the sense of positive definiteness. Among other things we obtain monotonicity in the sense of infinite divisibility, which is much stronger than that in the sense of positive definiteness. These strong monotonicity results are proved based on explicit computations for measures in relevant Lévy–Khintchine (or actually Kolmogorov) formulas.     

A shape-preserving quasi-interpolation operator satisfying quadratic polynomial reproduction property to scattered data

In this paper, we construct a univariate quasi-interpolation operator to non-uniformly distributed data by cubic multiquadric functions. This operator is practical, as it does not require derivatives of the being approximated function at endpoints. Furthermore, it possesses univariate quadratic polynomial reproduction property, strict convexity-preserving and shape-preserving of order 3 properties, and a higher convergence rate. Finally, some numerical experiments are shown to compare the approximation capacity of our quasi-interpolation operator with that of Wu and Schaback’s quasi-interpolation scheme.     

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.

     

Multivariate convexity preserving interpolation by smooth functions

A set of multivariate data is called strictly convex if there exists a strictly convex interpolant to these data. In this paper we characterize strict convexity of Lagrange and Hermite multivariate data by a simple property and show that for strict convex data and given smoothness requirements there exists a smooth strictly convex interpolant. We also show how to construct a multivariate convex smooth interpolant to scattered data. Partially supported by DGICYT PS93-0310 and by the EC project CHRX-CT94-0522.     

Error estimates for Gaussian quadrature formulae

Summary We derive both strict and asymtotic error bounds for the Gauss-Jacobi quadrature formula with respect to a general measure. The estimates involve the maximum modulus of the integrand on a contour in the complex plane. The methods are elementary complex analysis.     

Conditionally positive definite kernels on Euclidean domains

This paper characterizes several classes of conditionally positive definite kernels on a domain Ω of either or . Among the classes is that composed of strictly conditionally positive definite kernels. These kernels are known to be useful in the solution of variational interpolation problems on Ω. Our study covers the case in which Ω is the sphere S^l−1 of or a similar manifold. Among other things, our results imply that the characterization of (strict) conditional positive definiteness on Ω can be obtained from a characterization of (strict) positive definiteness on Ω. The bi-zonal strictly conditionally positive definite kernels on S^l−1, l?3, are described.     

Positive definiteness of Hermitian interval matrices

We present a new necessary and sufficient criterion to check the positive definiteness of Hermitian interval matrices. It is shown that an n×n Hermitian interval matrix is positive definite if and only if its 4^n-1(n-1)! specially chosen Hermitian vertex matrices are positive definite.     

Simplification of a result on banded Toeplitz matrices and BVM methods

In a recent paper, motivated by the analysis of some BVM methods, Aceto and Trigiante consider tests for proving the positive definiteness of real banded Toeplitz matrices. Here we furnish a new test and we show that the analysis provided by Aceto and Trigiante can be simplified by using known facts on the symbol.     

On a Sequence of Positive Linear Operators Associated with a Continuous Selection of Borel Measures

In this paper we introduce and study a new sequence of positive linear operators acting on the space of Lebesgue-integrable functions on the unit interval. These operators are defined by means of continuous selections of Borel measures and generalize the Kantorovich operators. We investigate their approximation properties by presenting several estimates of the rate of convergence by means of suitable moduli of smoothness. Some shape preserving properties are also shown. Dedicated to the memory of Professor Aldo Cossu     

Three elementary proofs of the goldberg-straus theorem on numerical radii

Three elementary proofs of the positive definiteness of the A-numerical radius, as defined by Goldberg and Straus, are given and a stronger result concerning exterior powers is conjectured     

Approximation and Interpolation from Modules

Abstract

A result about simultaneous approximation and interpolation from modules of weighted spaces is established. As a consequence, it is applied to certain polynomial algebras of the space of continuous bounded vector-valued functions equipped with the strict topology.     

S-convex,monotone, and positive interpolation with rational bicubic splines of C2-continuity

In this paper we deal with shape preserving interpolation of data sets given on rectangular grids. The aim is to show that there exist spline interpolants of the continuity classC ² which areS-convex, monotone, or positive if the data sets have these properties. This is done by using particular rational bicubic splines defined on the grids introduced by the data. Interpolants of the desired type can be constructed by a simple search procedure.     

Retaining positive definiteness in thresholded matrices

Positive definite (p.d.) matrices arise naturally in many areas within mathematics and also feature extensively in scientific applications. In modern high-dimensional applications, a common approach to finding sparse positive definite matrices is to threshold their small off-diagonal elements. This thresholding, sometimes referred to as hard-thresholding, sets small elements to zero. Thresholding has the attractive property that the resulting matrices are sparse, and are thus easier to interpret and work with. In many applications, it is often required, and thus implicitly assumed, that thresholded matrices retain positive definiteness. In this paper we formally investigate the algebraic properties of p.d. matrices which are thresholded. We demonstrate that for positive definiteness to be preserved, the pattern of elements to be set to zero has to necessarily correspond to a graph which is a union of complete components. This result rigorously demonstrates that, except in special cases, positive definiteness can be easily lost. We then proceed to demonstrate that the class of diagonally dominant matrices is not maximal in terms of retaining positive definiteness when thresholded. Consequently, we derive characterizations of matrices which retain positive definiteness when thresholded with respect to important classes of graphs. In particular, we demonstrate that retaining positive definiteness upon thresholding is governed by complex algebraic conditions.     

Behavior of alternation points in best rational approximation

The behavior of the equioscillation points (alternants) for the error in best uniform approximation on [–1, 1] by rational functions of degreen is investigated. In general, the points of the alternants need not be dense in [–1, 1], even when approximation by rational functions of degree (m, n) is considered and asymptoticallym/n 1. We show, however, that if more thanO(logn) poles of the approximants stay at a positive distance from [–1, 1], then asymptotic denseness holds, at least for a subsequence. Furthermore, we obtain stronger distribution results when n (0 < 1) poles stay away from [–1, 1]. In the special case when a Markoff function is approximated, the distribution of the equioscillation points is related to the asymptotics for the degree of approximation.The research of this author was supported, in part, by NSF grant DMS 920-3659.     

Stability results for approximation by positive definite functions on SO(3)

We consider interpolation methods defined by positive definite functions on a locally compact group G. Estimates for the smallest and largest eigenvalue of the interpolation matrix in terms of the localization of the positive definite function on G are presented, and we provide a method to get positive definite functions explicitly on compact semisimple Lie groups. Finally, we apply our results to construct well-localized positive definite basis functions having nice stability properties on the rotation group SO(3).     

A Generalization of Schep’s Theorem on the Positive Definiteness of a Piecewise Linear Function

Mathematical Notes - Schep proved that, for a piecewise linear function with nodes at integer points, positive definiteness on ? is equivalent to positive definiteness on ?. In this...     

Conditions of Equivalence of Spinor and Tensor Methods in the Problem of Positive Definiteness of the Gravitational Problem

It is demonstrated that J. Nester's tensor method for proving the theorem on the positive definiteness of gravitational energy in an asymptotically Minkowsky space is equivalent to E. Witten's spinor method, in which the Saint–Witten equation must be completed with a linear term that includes the gradient of a certain scalar potential. A new proof of the theorem on the positive definiteness of energy is proposed.