Sums,differences, products,and ratios of hypergeometric beta variables

Recent papers by Professor T. Pham-Gia derived distributions of sums, differences, products and ratios of independent beta random variables. In this Note we extend Professor Pham-Gia's results when $X_1$ and $X_2$ are independent random variables distributed according to the confluent and Gauss hypergeometric distributions (which are generalizations of the beta distribution). For each of these distributions, we derive exact expressions for the densities of $S=X_1+X_2$, $D=X_1?X_2$, $P=X_1{X}_2$, and $R=X_2/X_1$. The expressions turn out to involve the hypergeometric functions of one and two variables. To cite this article: S. Nadarajah, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 341 (2005).     

Binary functions,degeneracy, and alternating dimaps

This paper continues the study of combinatorial properties of binary functions — that is, functions $f:2^E\to ?$ such that $f(0?)=1$, where $E$ is a finite set. Binary functions have previously been shown to admit families of transforms that generalise duality, including a trinity transform, and families of associated minor operations that generalise deletion and contraction, with both these families parameterised by the complex numbers. Binary function representations exist for graphs (via the indicator functions of their cutset spaces) and indeed arbitrary matroids (as shown by the author previously). In this paper, we characterise degenerate elements – analogues of loops and coloops – in binary functions, with respect to any set of minor operations from our complex-parameterised family. We then apply this to study the relationship between binary functions and Tutte’s alternating dimaps, which also support a trinity transform and three associated minor operations. It is shown that only the simplest alternating dimaps have binary representations of the form we consider, which seems to be the most direct type of representation. The question of whether there exist other, more sophisticated types of binary function representations for alternating dimaps is left open.     

Toughness,trees, and walks

A graph is t‐tough if the number of components of G\S is at most |S|/t for every cutset S ⊆ V (G). A k‐walk in a graph is a spanning closed walk using each vertex at most k times. When k = 1, a 1‐walk is a Hamilton cycle, and a longstanding conjecture by Chvátal is that every sufficiently tough graph has a 1‐walk. When k ≥ 3, Jackson and Wormald used a result of Win to show that every sufficiently tough graph has a k‐walk. We fill in the gap between k = 1 and k ≥ 3 by showing that, when k = 2, every sufficiently tough (specifically, 4‐tough) graph has a 2‐walk. To do this we first provide a new proof for and generalize a result by Win on the existence of a k‐tree, a spanning tree with every vertex of degree at most k. We also provide new examples of tough graphs with no k‐walk for k ≥ 2. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 33:125–137, 2000     

Permutations,periodicity, and chaos

Let f: I → I be a continuous function on a closed interval I. If there exists x?I which has period 3 with respect to f, then Li and Yorke [1] proved that f is chaotic in the sense that there are not only points x?I of arbitrarily large period, but also uncountably many points x?I which are not even asymptotically periodic with respect to f. By using only elementary combinatorial facts about permutations, it is shown that if there is a point x?I of period p with respect to f, where p is divisible by 3, 5, or 7, then f is chaotic. The proof is followed by a study of some related combinatorial problems in symmetric groups.     

Indestructibility,HOD, and the Ground Axiom

Let φ₁ stand for the statement V = HOD and φ₂ stand for the Ground Axiom. Suppose T_i for i = 1, …, 4 are the theories “ZFC + φ₁ + φ₂,” “ZFC + ¬φ₁ + φ₂,” “ZFC + φ₁ + ¬φ₂,” and “ZFC + ¬φ₁ + ¬φ₂” respectively. We show that if κ is indestructibly supercompact and λ > κ is inaccessible, then for i = 1, …, 4, A_i = _df{δ < κ∣δ is an inaccessible cardinal which is not a limit of inaccessible cardinals and V_δ?T_i} must be unbounded in κ. The large cardinal hypothesis on λ is necessary, as we further demonstrate by constructing via forcing four models in which A_i = ?? for i = 1, …, 4. In each of these models, there is an indestructibly supercompact cardinal κ, and no cardinal δ > κ is inaccessible. We show it is also the case that if κ is indestructibly supercompact, then V_κ?T₁, so by reflection, B₁ = _df{δ < κ∣δ is an inaccessible limit of inaccessible cardinals and V_δ?T₁} is unbounded in κ. Consequently, it is not possible to construct a model in which κ is indestructibly supercompact and B₁ = ??. On the other hand, assuming κ is supercompact and no cardinal δ > κ is inaccessible, we demonstrate that it is possible to construct a model in which κ is indestructibly supercompact and for every inaccessible cardinal δ < κ, V_δ?T₁. It is thus not possible to prove in ZFC that B_i = _df{δ < κ∣δ is an inaccessible limit of inaccessible cardinals and V_δ?T_i} for i = 2, …, 4 is unbounded in κ if κ is indestructibly supercompact. © 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim     

(n,d)-Injective covers,n-coherent rings,and (n,d)-rings

It is known that a ring R is left Noetherian if and only if every left R-module has an injective (pre)cover. We show that (1) if R is a right n-coherent ring, then every right R-module has an (n, d)-injective (pre)cover; (2) if R is a ring such that every (n, 0)-injective right R-module is n-pure extending, and if every right R-module has an (n, 0)-injective cover, then R is right n-coherent. As applications of these results, we give some characterizations of (n, d)-rings, von Neumann regular rings and semisimple rings.     

Dualizing,projecting, and restricting GKZ systems

Let A be an integer matrix, and assume that its semigroup ring $\mathbb{C}[\mathbb{N}A]$ is normal. Fix a face F of the cone of A. We show that the projection and restriction of an A-hypergeometric system to the coordinate subspace corresponding to F are essentially F-hypergeometric; moreover, at most one of them is nonzero.We also show that, if A is in addition homogeneous, the holonomic dual of an A-hypergeometric system is itself A-hypergeometric. This extends a result from [16], proving a conjecture of Nobuki Takayama in the normal homogeneous case.     

Equilibrants, semipositive matrices, calculation and scaling

For square, semipositive matrices A (Ax>0 for some x>0), two (nonnegative) equilibrants e(A) and E(A) are defined. Our primary goal is to develop theory from which each may be calculated. To this end, the collection of semipositive matrices is partitioned into three subclasses for each equilibrant, and a connection to those matrices that are scalable to doubly stochastic matrices is made. In the process a certain matrix/vector equation that is related to scalability of a matrix to one with line sums 1 is derived and discussed.     

Spanning cactus of a graph: Existence,extension, optimization,and approximation

We show that testing if an undirected graph contains a bridgeless spanning cactus is NP-hard. As a consequence, the minimum spanning cactus problem (MSCP) on an undirected graph with 0–1 edge weights is NP-hard. For any subgraph $S$ of $K_n$, we give polynomially testable necessary and sufficient conditions for $S$ to be extendable to a cactus in $K_n$ and the weighted version of this problem is shown to be NP-hard. A spanning tree is shown to be extendable to a cactus in $K_n$ if and only if it has at least one node of even degree. When $S$ is a spanning tree, we show that the weighted version can also be solved in polynomial time. Further, we give an $O\left(n^3\right)$ algorithm for computing a minimum cost spanning tree with at least one vertex of even degree on a graph on $n$ nodes. Finally, we show that for a complete graph with edge-costs satisfying the triangle inequality, the MSCP is equivalent to a general class of optimization problems that properly includes the traveling salesman problem and they all have the same approximation hardness.     

Uniformities,hyperspaces, and normality

LetX be a completely regular space and 2 ^X the hyperspace ofX. It is shown that the uniform topologies on 2 ^X arising from Nachbin uniformity onX, which is the weak uniformity generated byC(X, ), and from Tukey—Shirota uniformity onX, generated by all countable open normal coverings ofX, agree. They, both, coincide with a Vietoris-type topology on 2 ^X , the countable locally finite topology, iffX is normal.     

Spanning arborescences,ingraphs, and outgraphs

An ingraph N is a subgraph of a digraph G whose edge set consists of all the edges of G that are directed into a subset X of the vertices. Set X is the generating set of N. It is proved that G contains a unique even ingraph and this ingraph is generated by the set A of vertices that root an odd number of spanning out arborescences provided A is nonempty. If A is empty, then there exist at least two even ingraphs.     

Entropy,Universal Coding,Approximation, and Bases Properties

We shall present here results concerning the metric entropy of spaces of linear and nonlinear approximation under very general conditions. Our first result computes the metric entropy of the linear and m-terms approximation classes according to a quasi-greedy basis verifying the Temlyakov property. This theorem shows that the second index r is not visible throughout the behavior of the metric entropy. However, metric entropy does discriminate between linear and nonlinear approximation. Our second result extends and refines a result obtained in a Hilbertian framework by Donoho, proving that under orthosymmetry conditions, m-terms approximation classes are characterized by the metric entropy. Since these theorems are given under the general context of quasi-greedy bases verifying the Temlyakov property, they have a large spectrum of applications. For instance, it is proved in the last section that they can be applied in the case of L _p norms for R ^d for 1 < p < \infty. We show that the lower bounds needed for this paper in fact follow from quite simple large deviation inequalities concerning hypergeometric or binomial distributions. To prove the upper bounds, we provide a very simple universal coding based on a thresholding-quantizing constructive procedure.     

Fitting Quantiles: Doubling,HR, HQ,and HHH Distributions

Abstract

This article introduces a family of distributional shapes which is flexible in the sense that it contains skewed and symmetric laws as well as heavy-tailed and light-tailed laws. The proposed family is also practically convenient because it is easy to fit to a table of quantiles from any distribution. Inversely, for each of the distributional shapes it is trivial to compute quantiles for any desired probability, and it is possible to compute the corresponding densities.