Packing circles in the smallest circle: an adaptive hybrid algorithm

The circular packing problem (CPP) consists of packing n circles C _i of known radii r _i , i∈N={1,?…,?n}, into the smallest containing circle ?. The objective is to determine the coordinates (x _i ,?y _i ) of the centre of C _i , i∈N, as well as the radius r and centre (x,?y) of ?. CPP, which is a variant of the two-dimensional open-dimension problem, is NP hard. This paper presents an adaptive algorithm that incorporates nested partitioning within a tabu search and applies some diversification strategies to obtain a (near) global optimum. The tabu search is to identify the n circles’ ordering, whereas the nested partitioning is to determine the n circles’ positions that yield the smallest r. The computational results show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.     

A non-separable solution of the diffusion equation based on the Galerkin’s method using cubic splines

The two dimensional diffusion equation of the form is considered in this paper. We try a bi-cubic spline function of the form as its solution. The initial coefficients C_i,j(0) are computed simply by applying a collocation method; C_i,j = f(x_i, y_j) where f(x, y) = u(x, y, 0) is the given initial condition. Then the coefficients C_i,j(t) are computed by X(t) = e^tQX(0) where X(t) = (C_0,1, C_0,1, C_0,2, … , C_0,N, C_1,0, … , C_N,N) is a one dimensional array and the square matrix Q is derived from applying the Galerkin’s method to the diffusion equation. Note that this expression provides a solution that is not necessarily separable in space coordinates x, y. The results of sample calculations for a few example problems along with the calculation results of approximation errors for a problem with known analytical solution are included.     

Existence of a positive solution to a system of discrete fractional boundary value problems

We analyze a system of discrete fractional difference equations subject to nonlocal boundary conditions. We consider the system of equations given by -Δ^ν_iy_i(t)=λ_ia_i(t+ν_i-1)f_i(y₁(t+ν₁-1),y₂(t+ν₂-1)), for t∈[0,b]_N0, subject to y_i(ν_i − 2) = ψ_i(y_i) and y_i(ν_i + b) = ?_i(y_i), for i = 1, 2, where ψ_i,?_i:R^b+3→R are given functionals. We also assume that ν_i ∈ (1, 2], for each i. Although we assume that both a_i and f_i(y₁, y₂) are nonnegative for each i, we do not necessarily presume that each ψ_i(y_i) and ?_i(y_i) is nonnegative for each i and each y_i ? 0. This generalizes some recent results both on discrete fractional boundary value problems and on discrete integer-order boundary value problems, and our techniques provide new results in each case.     

Walking in circles

Consider the unit circle S¹ with distance function d measured along the circle. We show that for every selection of 2n points x₁,…,x_n,y₁,…,y_n∈S¹ there exists i∈{1,…,n} such that . We also discuss a game theoretic interpretation of this result.     

An optimal filtering method for stable analytic continuation

In this paper, we consider the problem of numerical analytic continuation of an analytic function f(z)=f(x+iy) on a strip domain Ω⁺={z=x+iy∈C∣x∈R,0<y<y₀}, where the data is given approximately only on the real axis y=0. This problem is severely ill-posed: the solution does not depend continuously on the given data. A novel method (filtering) is used to solve this problem and an optimal error estimate with Hölder type is proved. Numerical examples show that this method works effectively.     

On the order bound of one-point algebraic geometry codes

Let S={s_i}_i∈N⊆N be a numerical semigroup. For each i∈N, let ν(s_i) denote the number of pairs (s_i−s_j,s_j)∈S²: it is well-known that there exists an integer m such that the sequence {ν(s_i)}_i∈N is non-decreasing for i>m. The problem of finding m is solved only in special cases. By way of a suitable parameter t, we improve the known bounds for m and in several cases we determine m explicitly. In particular we give the value of m when the Cohen-Macaulay type of the semigroup is three or when the multiplicity is less than or equal to six. When S is the Weierstrass semigroup of a family {C_i}_i∈N of one-point algebraic geometry codes, these results give better estimates for the order bound on the minimum distance of the codes {C_i}.     

Adaptive and restarting techniques-based algorithms for circular packing problems

In this paper, we study the circular packing problem (CPP) which consists of packing a set of non-identical circles of known radii into the smallest circle with no overlap of any pair of circles. To solve CPP, we propose a three-phase approximate algorithm. During its first phase, the algorithm successively packs the ordered set of circles. It searches for each circle’s “best” position given the positions of the already packed circles where the best position minimizes the radius of the current containing circle. During its second phase, the algorithm tries to reduce the radius of the containing circle by applying (i) an intensified search, based on a reduction search interval, and (ii) a diversified search, based on the application of a number of layout techniques. Finally, during its third phase, the algorithm introduces a restarting procedure that explores the neighborhood of the current solution in search for a better ordering of the circles. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated on several problem instances taken from the literature.     

Rose window graphs underlying rotary maps

Given natural numbers n≥3 and 1≤a,r≤n−1, the rose window graph R_n(a,r) is a quartic graph with vertex set {x_i∣i∈Z_n}∪{y_i∣i∈Z_n} and edge set {{x_i,x_i+1}∣i∈Z_n}∪{{y_i,y_i+r}∣i∈Z_n}∪{{x_i,y_i}∣i∈Z_n}∪{{x_i+a,y_i}∣i∈Z_n}. In this paper rotary maps on rose window graphs are considered. In particular, we answer the question posed in [S. Wilson, Rose window graphs, Ars Math. Contemp. 1 (2008), 7-19. http://amc.imfm.si/index.php/amc/issue/view/5] concerning which of these graphs underlie a rotary map.     

On the efficiency of Newton and Broyden numerical methods in the investigation of the regular polygon problem of (N + 1) bodies

Numerical methods of finding the roots of a system of non-linear algebraic equations are treated in this paper. This paper attempts to give an answer to the selection of the most efficient method in a complex problem of Celestial Dynamics, the so-called ring problem of (N + 1) bodies. We apply Newton and Broyden’s method to these problems and we investigate, by means of their use, the planar equilibrium points, the five equilibrium zones, which are symbolized by A₁, A₂, B, C₂, and C₁ (by order of appearance from the center O to the periphery of the imaginary circle on which the primaries lie) [T.J. Kalvouridis, A planar case of the N + 1 body problem: the ring problem. Astrophys. Space Sci. 260 (3) (1999) 309-325], and the attracting regions of the system. The efficiency of these methods is studied through a comparative process. The obtained results are demonstrated in figures and are discussed.     

On 2-factors with cycles containing specified edges in a bipartite graph

Let k≥1 be an integer and G=(V₁,V₂;E) a bipartite graph with |V₁|=|V₂|=n such that n≥2k+2. In this paper it has been proved that if for each pair of nonadjacent vertices x∈V₁ and y∈V₂, , then for any k independent edges e₁,…,e_k of G, G has a 2-factor with k+1 cycles C₁,…,C_k+1 such that e_i∈E(C_i) and |V(C_i)|=4 for each i∈{1,…,k}. We shall also show that the conditions in this paper are sharp.     

Solution Methodologies for the Smallest Enclosing Circle Problem

Given a set of circles C = {c ₁, ..., c _n} on the Euclidean plane with centers {(a ₁, b ₁), ..., (a _n, b _n)} and radii {r ₁, ..., r _n}, the smallest enclosing circle (of fixed circles) problem is to find the circle of minimum radius that encloses all circles in C. We survey four known approaches for this problem, including a second order cone reformulation, a subgradient approach, a quadratic programming scheme, and a randomized incremental algorithm. For the last algorithm we also give some implementation details. It turns out the quadratic programming scheme outperforms the other three in our computational experiment.     

Rank One Perturbations in a Pontryagin Space with One Negative Square

Let N₁ denote the class of generalized Nevanlinna functions with one negative square and let N_1, 0 be the subclass of functions Q(z)∈N₁ with the additional properties lim_y→∞ Q(iy)/y=0 and lim sup_y→∞ y |Im Q(iy)|<∞. These classes form an analytic framework for studying (generalized) rank one perturbations A(τ)=A+τ[·, ω] ω in a Pontryagin space setting. Many functions appearing in quantum mechanical models of point interactions either belong to the subclass N_1, 0 or can be associated with the corresponding generalized Friedrichs extension. In this paper a spectral theoretical analysis of the perturbations A(τ) and the associated Friedrichs extension is carried out. Many results, such as the explicit characterizations for the critical eigenvalues of the perturbations A(τ), are based on a recent factorization result for generalized Nevanlinna functions.     

A new off-step high order approximation for the solution of three-space dimensional nonlinear wave equations

In this paper, we propose a new high accuracy numerical method of O(k² + k²h² + h⁴) based on off-step discretization for the solution of 3-space dimensional non-linear wave equation of the form u_tt = A(x,y,z,t)u_xx + B(x,y,z,t)u_yy + C(x,y,z,t)u_zz + g(x,y,z,t,u,u_x,u_y,u_z,u_t), 0 < x,y,z < 1,t > 0 subject to given appropriate initial and Dirichlet boundary conditions, where k > 0 and h > 0 are mesh sizes in time and space directions respectively. We use only seven evaluations of the function g as compared to nine evaluations of the same function discussed in  and . We describe the derivation procedure in details of the algorithm. The proposed numerical algorithm is directly applicable to wave equation in polar coordinates and we do not require any fictitious points to discretize the differential equation. The proposed method when applied to a telegraphic equation is also shown to be unconditionally stable. Comparative numerical results are provided to justify the usefulness of the proposed method.     

On the security analysis of an image scrambling encryption of pixel bit and its improved scheme based on self-correlation encryption

An image scrambling encryption scheme for pixel bits was presented by Ye [Ye GD. Image scrambling encryption algorithm of pixel bit based on chaos map. Pattern Recognit Lett 2010;31:347-54], which can be seen as one kind of typical binary image scrambling encryption considering from the bit-plain of size M × (8N). However, recently, some defects existing in the original image encryption scheme, i.e., Ye’s scheme, have been observed by Li and Lo [Li CQ, Lo KT. Optimal quantitative cryptanalysis of permutation-only multimedia ciphers against plaintext attacks. Signal Process 2011;91:949-54]. In the attack proposed by Li and Lo at least 3 + ⌈log₂(MN)⌉ plain images of size M × N are used to reveal the permutation matrix W = [w(i, k)] (i ∈ {1, 2, … , M}; k ∈ {1, 2, … , 8N}) which can be applied to recover the exact plain image. In the current paper, at first, one type of special plain image/cipher image is used to analyze the security weakness of the original image scrambling scheme under study. The final encryption vectors TM and TN or the decryption vectors TM′ and TN′ are revealed completely according to our attack. To demonstrate the performance of our attack, a quantified comparison is drawn between our attack and the attack proposed by Li and Lo. Compared with Li and Lo’s attack, our attack is more efficient in the general conditions. In particular, when the sizes of images satisfy the condition M = N or M ? 8N, the number of the used plain images/cipher images is at most 9, which is sharply less than 3 + ⌈log₂(MN)⌉ when M and N are of large size. To overcome the weaknesses of the original scheme, in this paper, an improved image scrambling encryption scheme is proposed. In the improved scheme, the idea of the “self-correlation” method is used to resist the chosen-plaintext attack/known-plaintext attack. The corresponding simulations and analyses illustrate that the improved encryption method has good cryptographic properties, and can overcome the weakness of the original image encryption scheme. Finally, farther improvement is briefly presented for the future work.     

Fractal oscillations of self-adjoint and damped linear differential equations of second-order

For a prescribed real number s ∈ [1, 2), we give some sufficient conditions on the coefficients p(x) and q(x) such that every solution y = y(x), y ∈ C²((0, T]) of the linear differential equation (p(x)y′)′ + q(x)y = 0 on (0, T], is bounded and fractal oscillatory near x = 0 with the fractal dimension equal to s. This means that y oscillates near x = 0 and the fractal (box-counting) dimension of the graph Γ(y) of y is equal to s as well as the s dimensional upper Minkowski content (generalized length) of Γ(y) is finite and strictly positive. It verifies that y admits similar kind of the fractal geometric asymptotic behaviour near x = 0 like the chirp function y_ch(x) = a(x)S(φ(x)), which often occurs in the time-frequency analysis and its various applications. Furthermore, this kind of oscillations is established for the Bessel, chirp and other types of damped linear differential equations given in the form y″ + (μ/x)y′ + g(x)y = 0, x ∈ (0, T]. In order to prove the main results, we state a new criterion for fractal oscillations near x = 0 of real continuous functions which essentially improves related one presented in [1].     

A polynomial algorithm for some preemptive multiprocessor task scheduling problems

In this paper we consider a problem of preemptive scheduling of multiprocessor tasks on dedicated processors in order to minimize the sum of completion times. Using a standard notation, our problem can be denoted as P ∣ fix_j, pmtn ∣ ∑C_j. We give a polynomial-time algorithm to solve P ∣ fix_j, G = {P₄, dart}-free, pmtn ∣ ∑C_j problem. This result generalizes the following problems: P2 ∣ fix_j, pmtn ∣ ∑C_j, P ∣ ∣fix_j∣ ∈ {1, m}, pmtn ∣ ∑C_j and P4 ∣ fix_j = 2, pmtn ∣ ∑C_j.     

Distributive equations of implications based on nilpotent triangular norms

In this paper, we explore the distributive equations of implications, both independently and along with other equations. In detail, we consider three classes of equations. (1) By means of the section of I, we give out the sufficient and necessary conditions of solutions for the distributive equation of implication I(x, T(y, z)) = T(I(x, y), (x, z)) based on a nilpotent triangular norm T and an unknown function I, which indicates that there are no continuous solutions satisfying the boundary conditions of implications. Under the assumptions that I is continuous except the vertical section I(0, y), y ∈ [0, 1), we get its complete characterizations. (2) We prove that there are no solutions for the functional equations I(x, T(y, z)) = T(I(x, y), I(x, z)), I(x, I(y, z)) = I(T(x, y), z). (3) We obtain the sufficient and necessary conditions on T and I to be solutions of the functional equations I(x, T(y, z)) = T(I(x, y), I(x, z)), I(x, y) = I(N(y), N(x)).     

Duality for a Class of Multiobjective Control Problems

In this paper, a class of multiobjective control problems is considered, where the objective and constraint functions involved are f(t, x(t), ?(t), y(t), z(t)) with x(t) ∈ Rⁿ, y(t) ∈ Rⁿ, and z(t) ∈ R^m, where x(t) and z(t) are the control variables and y(t) is the state variable. Under the assumption of invexity and its generalization, duality theorems are proved through a parametric approach to related properly efficient solutions of the primal and dual problems.     

Bernstein operators for extended Chebyshev systems

Let U_n ⊂ Cⁿ[a, b] be an extended Chebyshev space of dimension n + 1. Suppose that f₀ ∈ U_n is strictly positive and f₁ ∈ U_n has the property that f₁/f₀ is strictly increasing. We search for conditions ensuring the existence of points t₀, …, t_n ∈ [a, b] and positive coefficients α₀, …, α_n such that for all f ∈ C[a, b], the operator B_n:C[a, b] → U_n defined by satisfies B_nf₀ = f₀ and B_nf₁ = f₁. Here it is assumed that p_n,k, k = 0, …, n, is a Bernstein basis, defined by the property that each p_n,k has a zero of order k at a and a zero of order n − k at b.