On Certain C-Test Words for Free Groups

Let F_m be a free group of a finite rank m ≥ 2 and let X_i, Y_j be elements in F_m. A non-empty word w(x₁,…,x_n) is called a C-test word in n letters for F_m if, whenever (X₁,…,X_n) = w(Y₁,…,Y_n) ≠ 1, the two n-typles (X₁,…,X_n) and (Y₁,…,Y_n) are conjugate in F_m. In this paper we construct, for each n ≥ 2, a C-test word v_n(x₁,…,x_n) with the additional property that v_n(X₁,…,X_n) = 1 if and only if the subgroup of F_m generated by X₁,…,X_n is cyclic. Making use of such words v_m(x₁,…,x_m) and v_m + 1(x₁,…,x_m + 1), we provide a positive solution to the following problem raised by Shpilrain: There exist two elements u₁, u₂ ∈ F_m such that every endomorphism ψ of F_m with non-cyclic image is completely determined by ψ(u₁), ψ(u₂).     

Special Functions on the Sphere with Applications to Minimal Surfaces

A function which is homogeneous in x, y, z of degree n and satisfies V_xx + V_yy + V_zz = 0 is called a spherical harmonic. In polar coordinates, the spherical harmonics take the form rⁿf_n, where f_n is a spherical surface harmonic of degree n. On a sphere, f_n satisfies ▵ f_n + n(n + 1)f_n = 0, where ▵ is the spherical Laplacian. Bounded spherical surface harmonics are well studied, but in certain instances, unbounded spherical surface harmonics may be of interest. For example, if X is a parameterization of a minimal surface and n is the corresponding unit normal, it is known that the support function, w = X · n, satisfies ▵w + 2w = 0 on a branched covering of a sphere with some points removed. While simple in form, the boundary value problem for the support function has a very rich solution set. We illustrate this by using spherical harmonics of degree one to construct a number of classical genus-zero minimal surfaces such as the catenoid, the helicoid, Enneper's surface, and Hennenberg's surface, and Riemann's family of singly periodic genus-one minimal surfaces.     

On “P” property and the column-W property

P-matrices play an important role in the well-posedness of a linear complementarity problem (LCP). Similarly, the well-posedness of a horizontal linear complementarity problem (HLCP) is closely related to the column-W property of a matrix k-tuple.In this paper we first consider the problem of generating P-matrices from a given pair of matrices. Given a matrix pair (D, F) where D is a square matrix of order m and matrix F has m rows, “what are the conditions under which there exists a matrix G such that (D + FG) is a P-matrix?”. We obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the special case when the column rank of F is m ? 1. A decision algorithm of complexity O(m²) to check whether the given pair of matrices (D, F) is P-matrisable is obtained. We also obtain a necessary and an independent sufficient condition for the general case when rank(F) is less than m ? 1.We then generalise the P-matrix generating problem to the generation of matrix k-tuples satisfying the column-W property from a given matrix (k + 1)-tuple. That is, given a matrix (k + 1)-tuple (D₁, … ,D_k, F), where D_js are square matrices of order m and F is a matrix having m rows, we determine the conditions under which the matrix k-tuple (D₁ + FG₁, … ,D_k + FG_k) satisfies the column-W property. As in the case of P-matrices we obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the case when rank(F) = m ? 1. Using these conditions a decision algorithm of complexity O(km²) to check whether the given matrix (k + 1)-tuple is column-W matrisable is obtained. Then for the case when rank(F) is less than m ? 1, we obtain a necessary and an independent sufficient condition.For a special sub-class of P-matrices we give a polynomial time decision algorithm for P-matrisability. Finally, we obtain a geometric characterisation of column-W property by generalising the well known separation theorem for P-matrices.     

Complexity Estimates for the Schmüdgen Positivstellensatz

LetKbe a closed basic set inRⁿgiven by the polynomial inequalities φ₁≥ 0, . . . , φ_m≥ 0 and let Σ be the semiring generated by the φ_kand the squares inR[x₁, . . . ,x_n]. Schmüdgen has shown that ifKis compact then any polynomial function strictly positive onKbelongs to Σ. Easy consequences are (1)f≥ 0 onKif and only iff∈R⁺+ Σ (Positivstellensatz) and (2) iff≥ 0 onKbutf∈ Σ then asdtends to 0⁺, in any representation off + das an element of Σ in terms of the φ_k, the squares and semiring operations, the integerN(d) which is the minimum over all representations of the maximum degree of the summands must become arbitrarily large. A one-dimensional example is analyzed to obtain asymptotic lower and upper bounds of the formcd^−1/2≤N(d) ≤Cd^−1/2log (1/d).     

A Bijective Approach to the Area of Generalized Motzkin Paths

For fixed positive integer k, let E_n denote the set of lattice paths using the steps (1, 1), (1, − 1), and (k, 0) and running from (0, 0) to (n, 0) while remaining strictly above the x-axis elsewhere. We first prove bijectively that the total area of the regions bounded by the paths of E_n and the x-axis satisfies a four-term recurrence depending only on k. We then give both a bijective and a generating function argument proving that the total area under the paths of E_n equals the total number of lattice points on the x-axis hit by the unrestricted paths running from (0, 0) to (n − 2, 0) and using the same step set as above.     

The Exponent of Discrepancy Is at Least 1.0669

LetP⊂[0, 1]^dbe ann-point set and letw: P→[0, ∞) be a weight function withw(P)=∑_z∈P w(z)=1. TheL₂-discrepancy of the weighted set (P, w) is defined as theL₂-average ofD(x)=vol(B_x)−w(P∩B_x) overx∈[0, 1]^d, where vol(B_x) is the volume of thed-dimensional intervalB_x=∏^d_k=1 [0, x_k). The exponent of discrepancyp* is defined as the infimum of numberspsuch that for all dimensionsd⩾1 and allε>0 there exists a weighted set of at mostKε^−ppoints in [0, 1]^dwithL₂-discrepancy at mostε, whereK=K(p) is a suitable number independent ofεandd. Wasilkowski and Woźniakowski proved thatp*⩽1.4779, by combining known bounds for the error of numerical integration and using their relation toL₂-discrepancy. In this note we observe that a careful treatment of a classical lower- bound proof of Roth yieldsp*⩾1.04882, and by a slight modification of the proof we getp*⩾1.0669. Determiningp* exactly seems to be quite a difficult problem.     

Matrix characterization of linear codes with arbitrary Hamming weight hierarchy

The support of an [n, k] linear code C over a finite field F_q is the set of all coordinate positions such that at least one codeword has a nonzero entry in each of these coordinate position. The rth generalized Hamming weight d_r(C), 1 ⩽ r ⩽ k, of C is defined as the minimum of the cardinalities of the supports of all [n, r] subcodes of C. The sequence (d₁(C), d₂(C), … , d_k(C)) is called the Hamming weight hierarchy (HWH) of C. The HWH, d_r(C) = n − k + r;  r = 1, 2 , …, k, characterizes maximum distance separable (MDS) codes. Therefore the matrix characterization of MDS codes is also the characterization of codes with the HWH d_r(C) = n − k + r; r = 1, 2, … , k. A linear code C with systematic check matrix [I∣P], where I is the (n − k) × (n − k) identity matrix and P is a (n − k) × k matrix, is MDS iff every square submatrix of P is nonsingular. In this paper we extend this characterization to linear codes with arbitrary HWH. Using this result, we characterize Near-MDS codes, Near-Near-MDS (N²-MDS) codes and A^μ-MDS codes. The MDS-rank of C is the smallest integer η such that d_η+1 = n − k + η + 1 and the defect vector of C with MDS-rank η is defined as the ordered set {μ₁(C), μ₂(C), μ₃(C), … , μ_η(C), μ_η+1(C)}, where μ_i(C) = n − k + i − d_i(C). We call C a dually defective code if the defect vector of the code and its dual are the same. We also discuss matrix characterization of dually defective codes. Further, the codes meeting the generalized Greismer bound are characterized in terms of their generator matrix. The HWH of dually defective codes meeting the generalized Greismer bound are also reported.     

Existence and asymptotics of traveling waves for nonlocal diffusion systems

In this paper, we deal with the existence and asymptotic behavior of traveling waves for nonlocal diffusion systems with delayed monostable reaction terms. We obtain the existence of traveling wave front by using upper-lower solutions method and Schauder’s fixed point theorem for c > c₁(τ) and using a limiting argument for c = c₁(τ). Moreover, we find a priori asymptotic behavior of traveling waves with the help of Ikehara’s Theorem by constructing a Laplace transform representation of a solution. Especially, the delay can slow the minimal wave speed for ?₂f(0, 0) > 0 and the delay is independent of the minimal wave speed for ?₂f(0, 0) = 0.     

Solution of the Burgers equation using an implicit linearizing transformation

The initial-boundary-value problem on the semi-infinite interval and on a finite interval for the Burgers equation u_t = u_xx + 2u_xu is solved using a stream function ? and a linearizing transformation w = e^?. The transformation reduces the equation to a heat equation with appropriate initial and homogeneous time-dependent linear boundary conditions. One advantage of this method is that we never need to find an explicit expression for ? in our computations.     

An exact algorithm for the knapsack sharing problem with common items

We are concerned with a variation of the knapsack problem as well as of the knapsack sharing problem, where we are given a set of n items and a knapsack of a fixed capacity. As usual, each item is associated with its profit and weight, and the problem is to determine the subset of items to be packed into the knapsack. However, in the problem there are s players and the items are divided into s + 1 disjoint groups, N_k (k = 0, 1, … , s). The player k is concerned only with the items in N₀ ∪ N_k, where N₀ is the set of ‘common’ items, while N_k represents the set of his own items. The problem is to maximize the minimum of the profits of all the players. An algorithm is developed to solve this problem to optimality, and through a series of computational experiments, we evaluate the performance of the developed algorithm.     

1D numerical simulation of charge trapping in an insulator submitted to an electron beam irradiation. Part I: Computation of the initial secondary electron emission yield

The aim of this work is to study by numerical simulation a mathematical modelling technique describing charge trapping during initial charge injection in an insulator submitted to electron beam irradiation. A two-fluxes method described by a set of two stationary transport equations is used to split the electron current j_e(z) into coupled forward j_e+(z) and backward j_e?(z) currents and such that j_e(z) = j_e+(z) ? j_e?(z). The sparse algebraic linear system, resulting from the vertex-centered finite-volume discretization scheme is solved by an iterative decoupled fixed point method which involves the direct inversion of a bi-diagonal matrix.The sensitivity of the initial secondary electron emission yield with respect to the energy of incident primary electrons beam, that is penetration depth of the incident beam, or electron cross sections (absorption and diffusion) is investigated by numerical simulations.     

Computing best-possible bounds for the distribution of a sum of several variables is NP-hard

In many real-life situations, we know the probability distribution of two random variables x₁ and x₂, but we have no information about the correlation between x₁ and x₂; what are the possible probability distributions for the sum x₁ + x₂? This question was originally raised by A.N. Kolmogorov. Algorithms exist that provide best-possible bounds for the distribution of x₁ + x₂; these algorithms have been implemented as a part of the efficient software for handling probabilistic uncertainty. A natural question is: what if we have several (n > 2) variables with known distribution, we have no information about their correlation, and we are interested in possible probability distribution for the sum y = x₁ + ⋯ + x_n? Known formulas for the case n = 2 can be (and have been) extended to this case. However, as we prove in this paper, not only are these formulas not best-possible anymore, but in general, computing the best-possible bounds for arbitrary n is an NP-hard (computationally intractable) problem.     

Interpolation by Integer-Valued Polynomials

LetRbe a Krull ring with quotient fieldKanda₁,…,a_ninR. If and only if thea_iare pairwise incongruent mod every height 1 prime ideal of infinite index inRdoes there exist for all valuesb₁,…,b_ninRan interpolating integer-valued polynomial, i.e., anf ∈ K[x] withf(a_i) = b_iandf(R) ⊆ R.IfSis an infinite subring of a discrete valuation ringR_vwith quotient fieldKanda₁,…,a_ninSare pairwise incongruent mod allM^k_v ∩ Sof infinite index inS, we also determine the minimald(depending on the distribution of thea_iamong residue classes of the idealsM^k_v ∩ S) such that for allb₁,…,b_n ∈ R_vthere exists a polynomialf ∈ K[x] of degree at mostdwithf(a_i) = b_iandf(S) ⊆ R_v.     

On the positive definite solutions of nonlinear matrix equation X + A⋆ X−δA = Q

In this paper we consider the positive definite solutions of nonlinear matrix equation X + A^⋆X^−δA = Q, where δ ∈ (0, 1], which appears for the first time in [S.M. El-Sayed, A.C.M. Ran, On an iteration methods for solving a class of nonlinear matrix equations, SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. 23 (2001) 632–645]. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a solution are derived. An iterative algorithm for obtaining the positive definite solutions of the equation is discussed. The error estimations are found.     

Reliability of multi-component stress–strength models

In this paper, we estimate the reliability of some parallel and series multi-component stress–strength models. We determine the reliability of a system composed of k dependent components subjected to n dependent stresses. We study the cases, when the components are either arranged in series or in parallel. The components strengths are assumed to have (k + 1)-parameter multivariate Marshall–Olkin exponential distribution, while the stresses are (n + 1)-parameter multivariate Marshall–Olkin exponentially distributed.     

On generalized Jordan 1-derivation in rings

Let n ⩾ 1 be a fixed integer and let R be an (n + 1)!-torsion free 1-ring with identity element e. If F, d:R → R are two additive mappings satisfying F(xⁿ⁺¹) = F(x)(x¹)ⁿ + xd(x)(x¹)ⁿ⁻¹ + x²d(x)(x¹)ⁿ⁻²+ ⋯ +xⁿd(x) for all x ∈ R, then d is a Jordan 1-derivation and F is a generalized Jordan 1-derivation on R.     

The maximal and minimal ranks of a quaternion matrix expression with applications

In this paper, we establish the formulas of the extermal ranks of the quaternion matrix expression f(X₁, X₂) = C₇ ? A₄X₁B₄ ? A₅X₂B₅ where X₁, X₂ are variant quaternion matrices subject to quaternion matrix equations A₁X₁ = C₁, A₂X₁ = C₂, A₃X₁ = C₃, X₂B₁ = C₄, X₂B₂ = C₅, X₂B₃ = C₆. As applications, we give a new necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of solutions to some systems of quaternion matrix equations. Some results can be viewed as special cases of the results of this paper.