Interval hulls of $N$-matrices and almost $P$-matrices

Abstract: We establish a characterization of almost $P$-matrices via a sign non-reversal property. In this we are inspired by the analogous results for $N$-matrices. Next, the interval hull of two $m \times n$ matrices $A=(a_{ij})$ and $B = (b_{ij})$, denoted by $\mathbb{I}(A,B)$, is the collection of all matrices $C \in \mathbb{R}^{m \times n}$ such that each $c_{ij}$ is a convex combination of $a_{ij}$ and $b_{ij}$. Using the sign non-reversal property, we identify a finite subset of $\mathbb{I}(A,B)$ that determines if all matrices in $\mathbb{I}(A,B)$ are $N$-matrices/almost $P$-matrices. This provides a test for an entire class of matrices simultaneously to be $N$-matrices/almost $P$-matrices. We also establish analogous results for semipositive and minimally semipositive matrices. These characterizations may be considered similar in spirit to that of $P$-matrices by Bialas-Garloff [Linear Algebra Appl. 1984] and Rohn-Rex [SIMAX 1996], and of positive definite matrices by Rohn [SIMAX 1994].