Must thermodynamic functions be piecewise analytic?

There seems to be no general theoretical argument to support the idea that thermodynamic functions are piecewise analytic. We suggest that nonanalyticity may be associated with Gibbs states which are quasiperiodic under space translations, or have a more general nonperiodic (turbulent) behavior.     

Asymptotic expansions of integrals of two Bessel functions via the generalized hypergeometric and Meijer functions

Asymptotic expansions of certain finite and infinite integrals involving products of two Bessel functions of the first kind are obtained by using the generalized hypergeometric and Meijer functions. The Bessel functions involved are of arbitrary (generally different) orders, but of the same argument containing a parameter which tends to infinity. These types of integrals arise in various contexts, including wave scattering and crystallography, and are of general mathematical interest being related to the Riemann—Liouville and Hankel integrals. The results complete the asymptotic expansions derived previously by two different methods — a straightforward approach and the Mellin-transform technique. These asymptotic expansions supply practical algorithms for computing the integrals. The leading terms explicitly provide valuable analytical insight into the high-frequency behavior of the solutions to the wave-scattering problems.     

Characterization of measures by potentials

Let μ be a measure in a Banach spaceE, f be an even function onR. We consider the potentialg(a)=f _E f(‖x?a‖)dμ(x). The question is as follows: For whichf does the potentialg determine μ uniquely? In this article we give answers in the cases whereE=l _∞ ⁿ and wheref(t)=|t| ^p andE is a finite dimensional Banach space with symmetric analytic norm. Calculating the Fourier transform of the functionf(‖x‖ _∞) we give a new proof of the J. Misiewicz's result that the functionf(‖x‖ _∞) is positive definite only iff is a constant function.     

Smooth positive extensions and nonlinear programming

We establish a smooth positive extension theorem: Given any closed subset of a finite-dimensional real Euclidean space, a function zero on the closed set can be extended to a function smooth on the whole space and positive on the complement of the closed set. This result was stimulated by nonlinear programming. We give several applications of this result to nonlinear programming.This paper is dedicated to the memory of Emily Sue Merkle Waite, Ph.D.The author wishes to thank W. Cunningham for suggesting the question about constraint qualifications, A. Karr for noticing the example of a Brownian motion sample path, R. Byrd and P. Hartman for discussions, and E. Waite for support and encouragement.     

Convolution semigroups and central limit theorem associated with a dual convolution structure

We consider hypergroups associated with Jacobi functions ⁽⁾ (x), (–1/2). We prove the existence of a dual convolution structure on [0,+[i(]0,s ₀]{{) =++1,s ₀=min(,–+1). Next we establish a Lévy-Khintchine type formula which permits to characterize the semigroup and the infinitely divisible probabilities associated with this dual convolution, finally we prove a central limit theorem.     

Generalized quasiconvexities,cone saddle points,and minimax theorem for vector-valued functions

We establish the following theorems: (i) an existence theorem for weak type generalized saddle points; (ii) an existence theorem for strong type generalized saddle points; (iii) a generalized minimax theorem for a vector-valued function. These theorems are generalizations and extensions of the author's recent results. For such extensions, we propose new concepts of convexity and continuity of vector-valued functions, which are weaker than ordinary ones. Some of the proofs are based on a few key observations and also on the Browder coincidence theorem or the Tychonoff fixed-point theorem. Also, the minimax theorem follows from the existence theorem for weak type generalized saddle points. The main spaces with mathematical structures considered are real locally convex spaces and real ordered topological vector spaces.This paper is dedicated to Professor Kensuke Tanaka on his sixtieth birthday.This paper was written when the author was a visitor at the Department of Mathematical Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan. The author is indebted to Prof. K. Tanaka for suggesting this work.The author is very grateful to Prof. P. L. Yu for his useful encouragement and suggestions and to the referees for their valuable suggestions and comments.     

Rational choice based on vague preferences

This paper studies vague preferences. In contrast to the concept of fuzzy preferences, the more general notion of vague preferences does not entail the assumption that the different degrees of preference are completely ordered. It is shown that the more general concept of a vague preference order arises very naturally in the context of aggregating a set of (exact) weak orders. Furthermore, necessary and sufficient conditions for the rationalizability of an exact choice function by means of a vague preference order are given. It turns out that in the general case these conditions are weaker than in the case where the degrees of preference are completely ordered. Consequently, there exist choice functions which are rationalizable by a general vague preference order but which are not rationalizable by a fuzzy preference order, or more generally by any vague preference order which induces a complete ranking of the degrees of preference. Examples of such choice functions are provided.This is a revised version of a discussion paper which was written at the University of Karlsruhe. I am grateful to Georg Bol and an anonymous referee for valuable comments. The research has been made possible by a fellowship of the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) which is also gratefully acknowledged.     

Cord-slope form of Taylor's expansion in univariate global optimization

Interval arithmetic and Taylor's formula can be used to bound the slope of the cord of a univariate function at a given point. This leads in turn to bounding the values of the function itself. Computing such bounds for the function, its first and second derviatives, allows the determination of intervals in which this function cannot have a global minimum. Exploiting this information together with a simple branching rule yields an efficient algorithm for global minimization of univariate functions. Computational experience is reported.The first and second authors have been supported by FCAR (Fonds pour la Formation de Chercheurs et l'Aide à la Recherche) Grant 92EQ1048 and AFOSR Grant 90-0008 to Rutgers University. The first author has also been supported by NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) Grant to HEC and NSERC Grant GP0105574. The second author has been supported by NSERC Grant GP0036426, FCAR Grant 90NC0305, and a NSF Visiting Professorship for Women in Science at Princeton University. Work of the third author was done in part while he was a graduate student at the Department of Mathematics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA and during a visit to GERAD, June–August 1991.     

Design and optimal tuning of nonlinear PI compensators

In this paper, linear time-invariant single-input single-output (SISO) systems that are stabilizable by linear proportional and integral (PI) compensators are considered. For such systems, a five-parameter nonlinear PI compensator is proposed. The parameters of the proposed compensator are tuned by solving an optimization problem. The optimization problem always has a solution.Additionally, a general nonlinear PI compensator is proposed and is approximated by easy-to-compute compensators, for instance, a six-parameter nonlinear PI compensator. The parameters of the approximate compensators are tuned to satisfy an optimality condition. The superiority of the proposed nonlinear PI compensators over linear PI compensators is discussed and is demonstrated for two feedback systems.     

On the complete solution of ∈y″=y 3

In Ref. 1, the author claimed that the problem y=y ³ is soluble only for a certain range of the parameter . An analytic approach, as adopted in the following contribution, reveals that a unique solution exists for any positive value of . The solution is given in closed form by means of Jacobian elliptic functions, which can be numerically computed very efficiently. In the limit 0+, the solutions exhibit boundary-layer behavior at both endpoints. An easily interpretable approximate solution for small is obtained using a three-variable approach.