A remark on discrete quadratic functionals with separable endpoints (Q1880843)

A characterization of the positivity of a discrete quadratic functional with separable state endpoint constraints is presented in terms of conjugate intervals to 0, various conjoined bases of the associated linear Hamiltonian difference system, and solutions of the implicit and explicit Riccati difference equations. The boundary conditions are in the form of either equations or (strict) inequalities. Three sets of results are derived under different underlying assumptions.