A counterexample on monotone Müntz approximation (Q1325249)

Let \(\Delta^ k\) denote the class of all \(k\)th monotone functions on \([0,1]\), that is, \[ \Delta^ k= \Biggl\{ f\in C[0,1]:\;\sum_{j=0}^ k (-1)^{k-j} {k \choose j} f(x+ jh)\geq 0,\;h>0,\;x\in [0,1 -kh] \Biggr\}. \] For \(f\in C[0,1]\), let \(\| f\|= \max_{0\leq x\leq 1} \| f(x)\|\). Let \(\Lambda= \{\lambda_ n\}^ \infty_ 1\), be a sequence of positive numbers such that \[ (1)\quad 0= \lambda_ 0< \lambda_ 1<\dots, \qquad (2) \quad \sum_{n=1}^ \infty {1\over {\lambda_ n}}= \infty, \qquad (3) \quad \lambda_ n\to\infty \text{ as } n\to\infty. \] Then the sequence \(\{x^{\lambda_ n}\}\) is dense in the class \(C[0,1]\). For any such sequence, let \(\Pi_ n (\Lambda):= \{P(x)= \sum_ 0^ n a_ k x^{\lambda_ k}\}\). For \(f\in C[0,1]\), set \(E_ n(f,\Lambda):= \inf_{P\in \Pi_ n (\Lambda)} \| f-P\|\) and \(E_ n^{(k)} (f,\Lambda):= \inf_{P\in \Pi_ n (\Lambda)\cap \Delta^ k} \| f-P\|\). When \(\Lambda= \{n\}_ 0^ \infty\), \(E_ n(f,N)\) is \(E_ n(f)\) and \(E_ n^{(k)} (f,N)\) is \(E_ n^{(k)} (f)\). In 1968, \textit{G. G. Lorentz} and \textit{K. Zeller} [J. Approximation Theory 1, 501-504 (1968; Zbl 0172.079)] had shown that there exists a function \(f\in C[0,1] \cap\Delta^ k\) such that \(\limsup_{n\to\infty} E_ n^{(k)}(f)/ E_ n(f)= \infty\). Here the author shows that if \(\Lambda\) satisfies (1)--(3), then there exists a function \(f\in C[0,1] \cap\Delta^ k\) such that \(\limsup_{n\to\infty} E_ n^{(k)} (f,\Delta)/ E_ n(f,\Lambda) =+\infty\).