Operator Semigroup Compactifications

A weakly continuous, equicontinuous representation of a semitopological semigroup on a locally convex topological vector space gives rise to a family of operator semigroup compactifications of , one for each invariant subspace of . We consider those invariant subspaces which are maximal with respect to the associated compactification possessing a given property of semigroup compactifications and show that under suitable hypotheses this maximality is preserved under the formation of projective limits, strict inductive limits and tensor products.

     

On a class of functions with equal infima over a domain and its boundary

In this paper, we present a class of functions:f:X such that inf _xX f(x)= , whereX is a nonempty, finitely compact and convex set in a vector space andB _x ={xX: y aff(X){x:[x, y]X={x}. Our main tool is a recent minimax theorem by Ricceri (Ref. 1).     

On the convergence of multipoint Padé-type approximants and quadrature formulas associated with the unit circle

We study the convergence of rational interpolants with prescribed poles on the unit circle to the Herglotz-Riesz transform of a complex measure supported on [–, ]. As a consequence, quadrature formulas arise which integrate exactly certain rational functions. Estimates of the rate of convergence of these quadrature formulas are also included.This research was performed as part of the European project ROLLS under contract CHRX-CT93-0416.     

Almost linearity of -bi-Lipschitz maps between real Banach spaces

Let and be real Banach spaces. A map between and is called an -bi-Lipschitz map if for all . In this note we show that if is an -bi-Lipschitz map with from onto , then is almost linear. We also show that if is a surjective -bi-Lipschitz map with , then there exists a linear isomorphism such that

where as and .

     

The stability of the exponential equation

We generalize the well-known Baker's superstability result for exponential mappings with values in the field of complex numbers to the case of an arbitrary commutative complex semisimple Banach algebra. It was shown by Ger that the superstability phenomenon disappears if we formulate the stability question for exponential complex-valued functions in a more natural way. We improve his result by showing that the maximal possible distance of an -approximately exponential function to the set of all exponential functions tends to zero as tends to zero. In order to get this result we have to prove a stability theorem for real-valued functions additive modulo the set of all integers .

     

Crumpled laminations and manifolds of nonfinite type

Using a group-theoretic construction due to Bestvina and Brady, we build -manifolds which admit partitions into closed, connected -manifolds but which do not have finite homotopy type.

     

Curvature invariants, differential operators and local homogeneity

We first prove that a Riemannian manifold with globally constant additive Weyl invariants is locally homogeneous. Then we use this result to show that a manifold whose Laplacian commutes with all invariant differential operators is a locally homogeneous space.

     

Single generator problem

Using the Stone-\v{C}ech compactification of integers, we introduce a free extension of an almost periodic flow. Together with some properties of outer functions, we see that, in a certain class of ergodic Hardy spaces , , the corresponding subspaces are all singly generated. This shows the existence of maximal weak- Dirichlet algebras, different from of the disc, for which the single generator problem is settled.

     

Prox-regular functions in variational analysis

The class of prox-regular functions covers all l.s.c., proper, convex functions, lower- functions and strongly amenable functions, hence a large core of functions of interest in variational analysis and optimization. The subgradient mappings associated with prox-regular functions have unusually rich properties, which are brought to light here through the study of the associated Moreau envelope functions and proximal mappings. Connections are made between second-order epi-derivatives of the functions and proto-derivatives of their subdifferentials. Conditions are identified under which the Moreau envelope functions are convex or strongly convex, even if the given functions are not.

     

Unbiased Bayes estimates and improper priors

Given two random variables (X, Y) the condition of unbiasedness states that:E(X |Y=y)=y andE(Y |X=x)=x both almost surely (a.s.). If the prior onY is proper and has finite expectation or non-negative support, unbiasedness impliesX=Y a.s. This paper examines the implications of unbiasedness when the prior onY is improper. Since the improper case can be meaningfully analysed in a finitely additive framework, we revisit the whole issue of unbiasedness from this perspective. First we argue that a notion weaker than equality a.s., named coincidence, is more appropriate in a finitely additive setting. Next we discuss the meaning of unbiasedness from a Bayesian and fiducial perspective. We then show that unbiasedness and finite expectation ofY imply coincidence betweenX andY, while a weaker conclusion follows if the improper prior onY is only assumed to have positive support. We illustrate our approach throughout the paper by revisiting some examples discussed in the recent literature.This work was partially supported by C.N.R. grant N.80.02970.10 (G.C.) and by C.N.R. grant altri interventi (P.V.). A preliminary draft was written while the Authors were visiting the Department of Statistics at Carnegie Mellon University.The paper is the result of close cooperation between the two authors. However subsections 3.1 and 3.3 are mainly due to G.C. while subsection 3.2 and section 4 are mainly due to P.V.