Little-Preemptive Scheduling on Unrelated Processors

We consider the preemptive scheduling of n independent jobs on m unrelated machines to minimize the makespan. Preemptive schedules with at most 2m–3 preemptions are built, which are optimal when the maximal job processing time is no more than the optimal schedule makespan. We further restrict the maximal job processing time and obtain optimal schedules with at most m–1 preemptions. This is better than the earlier known best bound of 4m ²–5m+2 on the total number of preemptions. Without the restriction on the maximal job processing time, our (2m–3)-preemptive schedules have a makespan which is no more than either of the following two magnitudes: (a) the maximum between the longest job processing time and the optimal preemptive makespan, and (b) the optimal nonpreemptive makespan. Our (m–1)-preemptive schedules might be at most twice worse than an optimal one.     

Mann-Whitney test for associated sequences

Let {X ₁, ...,X _m } and {Y ₁, ...,Y _n } be two samples independent of each other, but the random variables within each sample are stationary associated with one dimensional marginal distribution functionsF andG, respectively. We study the properties of the classical Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney statistic for testing for stochastic dominance in the above set up.     

Optimal iterative processes for root-finding

Letf ₀(x) be a function of one variable with a simple zero atr ₀. An iteration scheme is said to be locally convergent if, for some initial approximationsx ₁, ...,x _s nearr ₀ and all functionsf which are sufficiently close (in a certain sense) tof ₀, the scheme generates a sequence {x _k} which lies nearr ₀ and converges to a zeror off. The order of convergence of the scheme is the infimum of the order of convergence of {x _k} for all such functionsf. We study iteration schemes which are locally convergent and use only evaluations off,f, ...,f ^[d] atx ₁, ...,x _k–1 to determinex _k, and we show that no such scheme has order greater thand+2. This bound is the best possible, for it is attained by certain schemes based on polynomial interpolation.This work was supported (in part) by the Office of Naval Research under contract numbers N0014-69-C-0023 and N0014-71-C-0112.     

Free Resolution Invariants for Finite Groups

Given a finite group G and a G-free resolution F _* of Z, then d _G (Im(F _m+1F _m ))–(–1) ^m–i d _G (F _i ) is almost always an invariant of G.     

On the geometry,preemptions and complexity of multiprocessor and shop scheduling

In this paper we study multiprocessor and open shop scheduling problems from several points of view. We explore a tight dependence of the polynomial solvability/intractability on the number of allowed preemptions. For an exhaustive interrelation, we address the geometry of problems by means of a novel graphical representation. We use the so-called preemption and machine-dependency graphs for preemptive multiprocessor and shop scheduling problems, respectively. In a natural manner, we call a scheduling problem acyclic if the corresponding graph is acyclic. There is a substantial interrelation between the structure of these graphs and the complexity of the problems. Acyclic scheduling problems are quite restrictive; at the same time, many of them still remain NP-hard. We believe that an exhaustive study of acyclic scheduling problems can lead to a better understanding and give a better insight of general scheduling problems. We show that not only acyclic but also a special non-acyclic version of periodic job-shop scheduling can be solved in polynomial (linear) time. In that version, the corresponding machine dependency graph is allowed to have a special type of the so-called parti-colored cycles. We show that trivial extensions of this problem become NP-hard. Then we suggest a linear-time algorithm for the acyclic open-shop problem in which at most m−2 preemptions are allowed, where m is the number of machines. This result is also tight, as we show that if we allow one less preemption, then this strongly restricted version of the classical open-shop scheduling problem becomes NP-hard. In general, we show that very simple acyclic shop scheduling problems are NP-hard. As an example, any flow-shop problem with a single job with three operations and the rest of the jobs with a single non-zero length operation is NP-hard. We suggest linear-time approximation algorithm with the worst-case performance of ( , respectively) for acyclic job-shop (open-shop, respectively), where (‖ℳ‖, respectively) is the maximal job length (machine load, respectively). We show that no algorithm for scheduling acyclic job-shop can guarantee a better worst-case performance than . We consider two special cases of the acyclic job-shop with the so-called short jobs and short operations (restricting the maximal job and operation length) and solve them optimally in linear time. We show that scheduling m identical processors with at most m−2 preemptions is NP-hard, whereas a venerable early linear-time algorithm by McNaughton yields m−1 preemptions. Another multiprocessor scheduling problem we consider is that of scheduling m unrelated processors with an additional restriction that the processing time of any job on any machine is no more than the optimal schedule makespan C _max^*. We show that the (2m−3)-preemptive version of this problem is polynomially solvable, whereas the (2m−4)-preemptive version becomes NP-hard. For general unrelated processors, we guarantee near-optimal (2m−3)-preemptive schedules. The makespan of such a schedule is no more than either the corresponding non-preemptive schedule makespan or max {C _max^*,p _max}, where C _max^* is the optimal (preemptive) schedule makespan and p _max is the maximal job processing time. E.V. Shchepin was partially supported by the program “Algebraical and combinatorial methods of mathematical cybernetics” of the Russian Academy of Sciences. N. Vakhania was partially supported by CONACyT grant No. 48433.     

On the existence of one-sided designs

A collection of subsets (called blocks) of a fixed vertex set (possibly with repetition) is called a (t _n , t _n –1, ..., t ₁; a _m , a _m –1, ..., a ₁)-design if it satisfies certain regularity conditions on the number of blocks which contain subsets of the vertex set of certain size, and other regularity conditions on the size of the intersections of certain numbers of the blocks. (For example, a BIBD (or (b, v, r, k, )-configuration) is a (1, 2; 1)-design, and a t-design is a (t, t–1, ..., 1; 1)-design.) A design has design-type (t _n , ..., t ₁; a _m , ..., a ₁) if it satisfies only those conditions. A one-sided design is a design with design-type (t _n , ..., t ₁;) or (;a _m , ..., a ₁). In this paper we show, by construction, that any one-sided design-type is possible.     

Single Supplier Scheduling for Multiple Deliveries

The problem of scheduling the production and delivery of a supplier to feed the production of F manufacturers is studied. The orders fulfilled by the supplier are delivered to the manufacturers in batches of the same size. The supplier's production line has to be set up whenever it switches from processing an order of one manufacturer to an order of another manufacturer. The objective is to minimize the total setup cost, subject to maintaining continuous production for all manufacturers. The problem is proved to be NP-hard. It is reduced to a single machine scheduling problem with deadlines and jobs belonging to F part types. An O(NlogF) algorithm, where N is the number of delivery batches, is presented to find a feasible schedule. A dynamic programming algorithm with O(N ^F /F ^F–2) running time is presented to find an optimal schedule. If F=2 and setup costs are unit, an O(N) time algorithm is derived.     

Effective bounds for the number of solutions of certain diophantine equations

It is proved that the number of solutions of the diophantine equation Norm (z ₁, ₁),+...+z _mm) =f (z, ...,z _m), is finite, where ₁, ..., _m are algebraic numbers of a special type, the left side of the equation is the norm with respect to a quadratic field, andf is a low-degree polynomial.Translated from Matematicheskie Zametki, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 361–371, September, 1970.     

Accurate estimates of deviations of spline approximations to classes of differentiable functions

We derive the approximation on [0, 1] of functionsf(x) by interpolating spline-functions s_r(f; x) of degree 2r+1 and defect r+1 (r=1, 2,...). Exact estimates for ¦f(x)–s_r(f; x) ¦ and f(x)–s_r(f; x)|_c on the class W^mH for m=1, r=1, 2, ..., and m=2, 3, r=1 for the case of convex (t),are derived.Translated from Matematicheskie Zametki, Vol. 9, No. 5, pp. 483–494, May, 1971.     

Ordering the structural set of jobs,minimizing the total penalty

The problem of setting up a schedule minimizing the total penalty is solved. A job set is specified. There are no precedence conditions. Each job consists of elementary operations. Job interruptions are allowed. Interruptions of elementary operations are not allowed. The penalty for an operation of a job to be executed at instantt is. A schedule is evaluated by a penalty that is the sum of the penalties of all the elementary operations of all jobs in set. It is assumed that set is structural. The problem is to find the schedule with a start in a prescribed interval [ T₁,T₂] with the least penalty. Compatible structural schedules are introduced into consideration. The class of compatible structural schedules contains the solution of the problem. An algorithm solving the problem is proposed having complexity, in the worst case, whereK is the number of jobs in the set.Translated from Zapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov Leningradskogo Otdeleniya Matematicheskogo Instituta im. V. A. Steklova AN SSSR, Vol. 90, pp. 229–264, 1979.     

A linear time approximation algorithm for multiprocessor scheduling

Givenn jobs andm identical processors anO(n) approximation algorithm is presented which tries to determine a nonpreemptive schedule with minimum finish time. Ifr is the number of jobs placed onto the processor with maximum finish time, then the worst case ratio of the new algorithm's finish time to the optimal solution is shown to be less thanrm/(rm–m+1). Extensive empirical results show that the new algorithm is competitive with the LPT algorithm in terms of quality of solution and faster in terms of computing time.     

Constructing infinite families of regular incidence (quasi-)polytopes

Given a regular incidence (quasi-)polytopeP of type {a ₁,a ₂, ...,a _n–1} and a function on its directed edges satisfying certain conditions, we construct for everym 2 a regular incidence (quasi-)polytope of type {ma ₁,a ₂, ...,a _n–1} with the same vertex figure asP.     

Keldysh-Sedov formulas and differentiability with respect to the parameter of families of univalent functions inn-connected domains

We introduce families of functionsF _j(w, t) mapping (n+1)-connected domains onto circular domains in thez-plane. Denote by _j (z, t) the families of functions inverse toF _j(w, t). Theorems 1–4 treat differentiability properties of these families with respect tot at a pointt=t ₀. We present formulas for the first derivative with respect tot. Corollaries of the theorems obtained are given. As a particular case, we deduce the theorem due to Kufarev for the disk and the theorem of Kufarev and Genina (Semukhina) for the annulus.Translated fromMatematicheskie Zametki, Vol. 58, No. 6, pp. 878–889, December, 1995.     

A solution to one of Kano's conjectures concerningk-th maximal spanning trees

Let (G) be the collection of all spanning trees of a connected and weighted graphG, andF ₁,F ₂, ...,F _m the partition of (G) such thatF _n the set ofi-th maximal spanning trees ofG. Kano^[1] conjectured that for anyA F ₁ and every integerk, 1km, there existsT F _k such that |T/A|k–1. This paper gives the conjecture a very simple proof, and related results.     

Extremal property of some surfaces in n-dimensional Euclidean space

A surface Γ=(f ₁(X₁,..., x_m),...,f _n(x₁,..., x_m)) is said to be extremal if for almost all points of Γ the inequality $$\parallel a_1 f_1 (x_1 , \ldots ,x_m ) + \ldots + a_n f_n (x_1 , \ldots ,x_m )\parallel< H^{ - n - \varepsilon } ,$$ , where H=max(¦a _i¦) (i=1, 2, ..., n), has only a finite number of solutions in the integersa ₁, ...,a _n. In this note we prove, for a specific relationship between m and n and a functional condition on the functionsf ₁, ...,f _n, the extremality of a class of surfaces in n-dimensional Euclidean space.     

Density Modulo 1 of Sublacunary Sequences

We prove the existence of real numbers badly approximated by rational fractions whose denominators form a sublacunar sequence. For example, for the ascending sequence s _n , n = 1, 2, 3, ..., generated by the ordered numbers of the form 2ⁱ3^j, i, j = 1, 2, 3, ..., we prove that the set of real numbers α such that inf _n∈ℕ n‖s _n α‖ > 0 is a set of Hausdorff dimension 1. The divergence of the series implies that the Lebesgue measure of those numbers is zero.__________Translated from Matematicheskie Zametki, vol. 77, no. 6, 2005, pp. 803–813.Original Russian Text Copyright ©2005 by R. K. Akhunzhanov, N. G. Moshchevitin.     

A generalization of the inversion formulas of systems of power series in systems of implicit functions

Using a multidimensional analog of the logarithmic residue, equations are derived expressing the coefficients of the power series of implicit functionsx _j =_j(w)=_j(w₁,...,w_m), j=1,...,n, defined by the system of equations f_j(w, x)=F_j (w₁,...,w_m:z₁,...,x _n )=0, j=1,...,n,f _j , (0, 0)=0, F_j(0, 0)/z_k=_jk in a neighborhood of the point (0, 0)C _(w,x) ^m+n , in terms of the coefficients of the power series of the functions F_j(w, z), j=1, ..., n. As a corollary, well-known formulas are obtained for the inversion of multiple power series.Translated from Matematicheskie Zametki, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 47–54, January, 1978.     

On computing the dispersion function

A two-dimensional analogue of the well-known bisection method for root finding is presented in order to solve the following problem, related to the dispersion function of a set of random variables: given distribution functionsF ₁,...,F _n and a probabilityp, find an interval [a,b] of minimum width such thatF _i(b)–F _i(a ^–)p, fori=1,...,n.The author wishes to thank Dr. I. D. Coope, for helpful advice offered during the preparation of this paper, and the referee, whose comments contributed to a clearer presentation.     

Scheduling uniform machines on-line requires nondecreasing speed ratios

We consider the following on-line scheduling problem. We have to schedulen independent jobs, wheren is unknown, onm uniform parallel machines so as to minimize the makespan; preemption is allowed. Each job becomes available at its release date, and this release date is not known beforehand; its processing requirement becomes known at its arrival. We show that if only a finite number of preemptions is allowed, there exists an algorithm that solves the problem if and only ifs _i–1/s_i s_i/s_i+1 for alli = 2,,m – 1, wheres _i denotes theith largest machine speed. We also show that if this condition is satisfied, then O(mn) preemptions are necessary, and we provide an example to show that this bound is tight. © 1998 The Mathematical Programming Society, Inc. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.