On hooks of Young diagrams

The well-known fact that there is always one more addable than removable box for a Young diagram is generalized to arbitrary hooks. As an application, this immediately implies a simple proof of a conjecture of Regev and Vershik [3] for which inductive proofs have recently been given by Regev and Zeilberger [4] and Janson [1].     

On a generalized $L_2$ projection and some related stability estimates in Sobolev spaces

Summary. In this paper we investigate a stability estimate needed in hybrid finite and boundary element methods, especially in hybrid coupled domain decomposition methods including mortar finite elements. This stability estimate is equivalent to the stability of a generalized projection in certain Sobolev spaces. Using piecewise linear trial spaces and appropriate piecewise constant test spaces, the stability of the generalized projection is proved assuming some mesh conditions locally. Received April 11, 2000 / Revised version received February 15, 2001 / Published online July 25, 2001     

Coupling for Markov renewal processes and the rate of convergence in ergodic theorems for processes with semi-Markov switchings

Coupling procedures for Markov renewal processes are described. Applications to ergodic theorems for processes with semi-Markov switchings are considered.This paper was partly prepared with the support of NFR Grant F-UP 10257-300.     

Asymptotics in the random assignment problem

Summary We show that, in the usual probabilistic model for the random assignment problem, the optimal cost tends to a limit constant in probability and in expectation. The method involves construction of an infinite limit structure, in terms of which the limit constant is defined. But we cannot improve on the known numerical bounds for the limit.Research supported by NSF Grant MCS90-01710     

A supraconvergent scheme for the Korteweg-de Vries equation

Summary A finite-difference method for the integration of the Korteweg-de Vries equation on irregular grids is analyzed. Under periodic boundary conditions, the method is shown to be supraconvergent in the sense that, though being inconsistent, it is second order convergent. However, such a convergence only takes place on grids with an odd number of points per period. When a grid with an even number of points is used, the inconsistency of the method leads to divergence. Numerical results backing the analysis are presented.     

U-statistics in danach spaces

U-statistics in Banach spaces are considered and thoroughly investigated. The martingale structure, estimates of moments, the law of large numbers, the central limit theorem, the invariance principle, estimates of the rate of convergence, and large deviations are established     

An analytic approach for the analysis of rotations in fringe-balanced binary search trees

This paper presents an analytic approach to the construction cost of fringe-balanced binary search trees. In [7], Mahmoud used a bottom-up approach and an urn model of Pólya. The present method is top-down and uses differential equations and Hwang's quasi-power theorem to derive the asymptotic normality of the number of rotations needed to construct such afringe balanced search tree. We also obtain the exact expectation and variance with this method. Although Pólya's urn model is no longer needed, we also present an elegant analysis of it based on an operator calculus as in [4].This research was supported by the Austrian Research Society (FWF) under the project number P12599-MAT.     

On the convergence of Newton's method when estimating higher dimensional parameters

In this paper, we consider the estimation of a parameter of interest where the estimator is one of the possibly several solutions of a set of nonlinear empirical equations. Since Newton's method is often used in such a setting to obtain a solution, it is important to know whether the so obtained iteration converges to the locally unique consistent root to the aforementioned parameter of interest. Under some conditions, we show that this is eventually the case when starting the iteration from within a ball about the true parameter whose size does not depend on n. Any preliminary almost surely consistent estimate will eventually lie in such a ball and therefore provides a suitable starting point for large enough n. As examples, we will apply our results in the context of M-estimates, kernel density estimates, as well as minimum distance estimates.     

Motivic Serre invariants of curves

In this article, we generalize the theory of motivic integration on formal schemes topologically of finite type and the notion of motivic Serre invariant, to a relative point of view. We compute the relative motivic Serre invariant for curves defined over the field of fractions of a complete discrete valuation ring R of equicharacteristic zero. One aim of this study is to understand the behavior of motivic Serre invariants under ramified extension of the ring R. Thanks to our constructions, we obtain, in particular, an expression for the generating power series, whose coefficients are the motivic Serre invariant associated to a curve, computed on a tower of ramified extensions of R. We give an interpretation of this series in terms of the motivic zeta function of Denef and Loeser.     

Trace norm estimates for products of integral operators and diffusion semigroups

We give trace norm estimates for products of integral operators and for diffusion semigroups. These are applied to differences of heat semigroups. A natural example of an integral operator with finite trace which is not trace class is given.