CAS based approach for discussing subset construction

This paper continues the discussion of teaching nondeterminism (see [6]) where we presented a didactic approach introducing the notion of nondeterministic automata. Although in this paper we use the same methodology we have to face up to new didactic challenges. Namely, teaching the subset construction requires answers to the question how can CAS be used in teaching the different phases of mathematical problem solving so that we can reach higher cognitive efficiency.     

Discovery of a new long-lived isomeric state in 125Ce

A new long-lived isomeric state in the near proton dripline nucleus ¹²⁵Ce has been identified with Schottky mass spectrometry at GSI. The excitation energy E ^* = 103(12)keV and the decay time of 193(1)s have been obtained from a single stored fully ionized ^125m Ce⁵⁸⁺ ion. The data implies an E3 transition and a 1/2⁺ assignment for the spin of the isomer.     

Solution of monotone complementarity problems with locally Lipschitzian functions

The paper deals with complementarity problems CP(F), where the underlying functionF is assumed to be locally Lipschitzian. Based on a special equivalent reformulation of CP(F) as a system of equationsφ(x)=0 or as the problem of minimizing the merit functionΘ=1/2∥Φ∥ ₂ ² , we extend results which hold for sufficiently smooth functionsF to the nonsmooth case. In particular, ifF is monotone in a neighbourhood ofx, it is proved that 0 εδθ(x) is necessary and sufficient forx to be a solution of CP(F). Moreover, for monotone functionsF, a simple derivative-free algorithm that reducesΘ is shown to possess global convergence properties. Finally, the local behaviour of a generalized Newton method is analyzed. To this end, the result by Mifflin that the composition of semismooth functions is again semismooth is extended top-order semismooth functions. Under a suitable regularity condition and ifF isp-order semismooth the generalized Newton method is shown to be locally well defined and superlinearly convergent with the order of 1+p.     

Asymptotic Distribution of Nodes for Near-Optimal Polynomial Interpolation on Certain Curves in R 2

Let E\subset \Bbb R ^s be compact and let d _n ^E denote the dimension of the space of polynomials of degree at most n in s variables restricted to E . We introduce the notion of an asymptotic interpolation measure (AIM). Such a measure, if it exists , describes the asymptotic behavior of any scheme τ _n ={ \bf x _k,n } _k=1 ^dnE , n=1,2,\ldots , of nodes for multivariate polynomial interpolation for which the norms of the corresponding interpolation operators do not grow geometrically large with n . We demonstrate the existence of AIMs for the finite union of compact subsets of certain algebraic curves in R ² . It turns out that the theory of logarithmic potentials with external fields plays a useful role in the investigation. Furthermore, for the sets mentioned above, we give a computationally simple construction for ``good' interpolation schemes. November 9, 2000. Date revised: August 4, 2001. Date accepted: September 14, 2001.     

Gravity in non-commutative geometry

We study general relativity in the framework of non-commutative differential geometry. As a prerequisite we develop the basic notions of non-commutative Riemannian geometry, including analogues of Riemannian metric, curvature and scalar curvature. This enables us to introduce a generalized Einstein-Hilbert action for non-commutative Riemannian spaces. As an example we study a space-time which is the product of a four dimensional manifold by a two-point space, using the tools of non-commutative Riemannian geometry, and derive its generalized Einstein-Hilbert action. In the simplest situation, where the Riemannian metric is taken to be the same on the two copies of the manifold, one obtains a model of a scalar field coupled to Einstein gravity. This field is geometrically interpreted as describing the distance between the two points in the internal space.Dedicated to H. ArakiSupported in part by the Swiss National Foundation (SNF)     

Calibration of a basket option model applied to company valuation

Applying real options thinking to company valuation seems theoretically and intuitively appealing. However, the real option analogy of a single European option as well as the compound option proxy perform poorly when applied to company valuation. We therefore suggest to rework the building blocks of real option applications to corporate valuation.  We introduce a framework to delineate the distribution of the underlying asset in the risk neutral world, which is important in order to value any derivative. This is achieved by an algorithm to calibrate a basket option model using real world data of observed share prices. The fitting takes account of the class of stable distributions. The index of stability of asymmetric α stable distribution serves as an over-all parameter to characterise the specific distribution.