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.     

A triangular map with homoclinic orbits and no infinite ω-limit set containing periodic points

Recently, Forti, Paganoni and Smítal constructed an example of a triangular map of the unite square, F(x,y)=(f(x),g(x,y)), possessing periodic orbits of all periods and such that no infinite ω-limit set of F contains a periodic point. In this note we show that the above quoted map F has a homoclinic orbit. As a consequence, we answer in the negative the problem presented by A.N. Sharkovsky in the eighties whether, for a triangular map of the square, existence of a homoclinic orbit implies the existence of an infinite ω-limit set containing a periodic point. It is well known that, for a continuous map of the interval, the answer is positive.     

Defect operators, defect functions and defect indices for analytic submodules

This paper mainly concerns defect operators and defect functions of Hardy submodules, Bergman submodules over the unit ball, and Hardy submodules over the polydisk. The defect operator (function) carries key information about operator theory (function theory) and structure of analytic submodules. The problem when a submodule has finite defect is attacked for both Hardy submodules and Bergman submodules. Our interest will be in submodules generated by polynomials. The reason for choosing such submodules is to understand the interaction of operator theory, function theory and algebraic geometry.     

Positions of convex bodies associated to extremal problems and isotropic measures

We show that there are close relations between extremal problems in dual Brunn-Minkowski theory and isotropic-type properties for some Borel measures on the sphere. The methods we use allow us to obtain similar results in the context of Firey-Brunn-Minkowski theory. We also study reverse inequalities for dual mixed volumes which are related with classical positions, such as ?-position or isotropic position.     

On modular inequalities in variable L p spaces

We show that the Hardy-Littlewood maximal operator and a class of Calderón-Zygmund singular integrals satisfy the strong type modular inequality in variable L^p spaces if and only if the variable exponent p(x) ∼ const. Received: 15 September 2004     

EPR and XPS measurements of polymeric catalysts doped with hereopolyacids in oxygen adsorption studies

The goal of our studies was to determine the nature of interactions between catalytic active samples, such as polypyrrole (PPy) doped with: chloride anions, heteropolyacids such as H₅PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀, or H₄SiW₁₂O₄₀, and oxygen particles. In order to reveal the mechanism of the linkage between the catalysts and oxygen we provided the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements of synthesized samples in O₂ and N₂ flow. Moreover, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were performed to show the properties of doped heteropolyacids and the state of nitrogen in polypyrrole matrix. The results of EPR studies of PPy(Cl), PPy(H₄SiW₁₂O₄₀), PPy(H₅PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀) samples, show that the polypyrrole doped with chloride anions interacts much easier with oxygen than polypyrrole doped with heteropolyacids (in the above given order, of preference with the most active polypyrrole system first). It correlates with XPS results, which show that a molybdenium-vanadium anion is more reduced than a silicon-tungsten one. The redox reactions of heteropolyacids involve the oxidation-reduction of the conjugated polymer chain, leaving no or little place for interactions with oxygen. Polypyrrole doped with H₄SiW₁₂O₄₀ shows some oxygen sensitivity as observed in the EPR studies, as opposed to polypyrrole doped with H₅PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀, which is in line with the XPS results.     

On a conjecture of Fefferman and Graham

In 1985, Fefferman and Graham have constructed a local embedding of an arbitrary real-analytic manifold, of odd dimension n, into a Ricci-flat manifold of dimension n+2 admitting a homothety. They conjectured that their result remains valid in even dimensions, if logarithms are allowed in the expansion of the metric. In this paper, we (i) prove that such expansions exist and converge and (ii) establish the degree of non-uniqueness of the solution in terms of the coefficients in the expansion.