Spatial design matrices and associated quadratic forms: structure and properties

The paper provides significant simplifications and extensions of results obtained by Gorsich, Genton, and Strang (J. Multivariate Anal. 80 (2002) 138) on the structure of spatial design matrices. These are the matrices implicitly defined by quadratic forms that arise naturally in modelling intrinsically stationary and isotropic spatial processes. We give concise structural formulae for these matrices, and simple generating functions for them. The generating functions provide formulae for the cumulants of the quadratic forms of interest when the process is Gaussian, second-order stationary and isotropic. We use these to study the statistical properties of the associated quadratic forms, in particular those of the classical variogram estimator, under several assumptions about the actual variogram.     

Analysis of two-sample truncated data using generalized logistic models

Parallel to Cox's [JRSS B34 (1972) 187-230] proportional hazards model, generalized logistic models have been discussed by Anderson [Bull. Int. Statist. Inst. 48 (1979) 35-53] and others. The essential assumption is that the two densities ratio has a known parametric form. A nice property of this model is that it naturally relates to the logistic regression model for categorical data. In astronomic, demographic, epidemiological, and other studies the variable of interest is often truncated by an associated variable. This paper studies generalized logistic models for the two-sample truncated data problem, where the two lifetime densities ratio is assumed to have the form exp{α+φ(x;β)}. Here φ is a known function of x and β, and the baseline density is unspecified. We develop a semiparametric maximum likelihood method for the case where the two samples have a common truncation distribution. It is shown that inferences for β do not depend the nonparametric components. We also derive an iterative algorithm to maximize the semiparametric likelihood for the general case where different truncation distributions are allowed. We further discuss how to check goodness of fit of the generalized logistic model. The developed methods are illustrated and evaluated using both simulated and real data.     

Cochran's statistical theorem for outer inverses of matrices and matrix quadratic forms

We extend the matrix version of Cochran's statistical theorem to outer inverses of a matrix. As applications, we investigate the Wishartness and independence of matrix quadratic forms for Kronecker product covariance structures.     

Places of algebraic function fields in arbitrary characteristic

We consider the Zariski space of all places of an algebraic function field F|K of arbitrary characteristic and investigate its structure by means of its patch topology. We show that certain sets of places with nice properties (e.g., prime divisors, places of maximal rank, zero-dimensional discrete places) lie dense in this topology. Further, we give several equivalent characterizations of fields that are large, in the sense of F. Pop's Annals paper Embedding problems over large fields. We also study the question whether a field K is existentially closed in an extension field L if L admits a K-rational place. In the appendix, we prove the fact that the Zariski space with the Zariski topology is quasi-compact and that it is a spectral space.     

Long Abelian ideals

We study Abelian ideals of a Borel subalgebra consisting of long roots. It is shown that methods of Cellini and Papi can be extended to this situation. A uniform expression for the number of long Abelian ideals is given. We also show that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the long Abelian ideals and B-stable commutative subalgebras in the little adjoint representation of the Langlands dual Lie algebra.     

Rank estimation in reduced-rank regression

Reduced rank regression assumes that the coefficient matrix in a multivariate regression model is not of full rank. The unknown rank is traditionally estimated under the assumption of normal responses. We derive an asymptotic test for the rank that only requires the response vector have finite second moments. The test is extended to the nonconstant covariance case. Linear combinations of the components of the predictor vector that are estimated to be significant for modelling the responses are obtained.     

From a Nonlinear, Nonconvex Variational Problem to a Linear, Convex Formulation

   Abstract. We propose a general approach to deal with nonlinear, nonconvex variational problems based on a reformulation of the problem resulting in an optimization problem with linear cost functional and convex constraints. As a first step we explicitly explore these ideas to some one-dimensional variational problems and obtain specific conclusions of an analytical and numerical nature.     

Rank one perturbations at infinite coupling in Pontryagin spaces

In this paper we relate the operators in the operator representations of a generalized Nevanlinna function N(z) and of the function −N(z)⁻¹ under the assumption that z=∞ is the only (generalized) pole of nonpositive type. The results are applied to the Q-function for S and H and the Q-function for S and H^∞, where H is a self-adjoint operator in a Pontryagin space with a cyclic element w, H^∞ is the self-adjoint relation obtained from H and w via a rank one perturbation at infinite coupling, and S is the symmetric operator given by S=H∩H^∞.     

Improvements in Depth Selective Electron Mössbauer Spectroscopy

The conditions for achievement of high resolving power of depth selective conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy method at a combined installation ‘electron spectrometer–nuclear gamma-resonance spectrometer’ have been obtained. There has been made a considerable step in development of the method at its realization at a magnetic sector electron spectrometer with double focusing, equipped with electron source (a sample under investigation) of large-area and position-sensitive detector. The paper presents a prospective symmetrical version of a magnetic sector electron spectrometer that allows realizing more completely possibilities of the method. It is noted that the proposed method is particularly valuable for investigations of nanosystems, nanostrutures that contain Mössbauer nuclei.