Partially dynamic maintenance of minimum weight hyperpaths

We address the problem of dynamically maintaining minimum weight hyperpaths in a directed hypergraph in a decremental setting. For such a problem, we provide a new efficient algorithm that works for a wide class of hyperpath weight measures. This algorithm explicitly updates minimum weight hyperpaths in

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worst case time under a sequence of L hyperarc weight increments and hyperarc deletions, where C is the maximum weight of minimum hyperpaths in and is the size of the representation of the hypergraph. Hyperpath weight measures are only required to belong to the class of strict weakly superior functions.     

A methodology for measuring the relative effectiveness of healthcare services

^** Email: giorgio.vittadini{at}unimib.it^*** Email: simona.minotti{at}unicatt.it In this paper we propose a methodology for measuring the ‘relativeeffectiveness’ of healthcare services (i.e. the effectof hospital care on patients) under general conditions, in which:) a healthcare outcome underlies qualitative and quantitativeobservable indicators; ß) we are interested in studyingthe simultaneous dependency of multiple outcomes on covariates(where the outcomes can also be correlated to each other); )the relative effectiveness is adjusted for hospital-specificcovariates; ) we hypothesise a general distribution for randomdisturbances and the random parameters of relative effectiveness.For this topic, a generalisation of the SURE (seemingly unrelatedregression equations) multilevel model is proposed. The solutionsare obtained by means of Bayesian inference methods. Since thereis currently no software available to estimate this model, anSAS procedure based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods hasbeen developed by the authors, in line with Goldstein &Spiegelhalter (1996, J. R. Stat. Soc. Ser. A, 159, 385–443),Spiegelhalter et al. (1996, Bayesian Using Gibbs Sampling Manual.Cambridge: MRC Biostatistic Unit, Institute of Public Health)and Albert & Chib (1997, J. Am. Stat. Assoc., 92, 916–925).In addition, a new theoretical result regarding the joint posteriordistribution for the parameters is provided. The model proposedhas been implemented for an effectiveness study of a selectionof Lombard hospitals.     

Models for biological trinuclear copper clusters. Characterization and enantioselective catalytic oxidation of catechols by the copper(II) complexes of a chiral ligand derived from (S)-(-)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diamine

The dinuclear and trinuclear Cu(II) complexes of an octadentate ligand derived from (S)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diamine have been prepared and characterized by UV/Vis, CD, EPR and NMR spectroscopy. The ligand contains two tridentate aminobis(benzimidazole) donor arms connected to a central bidentate diaminobinaphthyl linker, which hosts the chiral unit. In the dinuclear Cu complex the ligation occurs essentially within the tridentate arms of the ligand. The two Cu centers are EPR nonequivalent and noninteracting. The EPR data suggests that one of the Cu ions additionally interacts with one of the tertiary aminonaphthyl donors. In the trinuclear complex the two aminonaphthyl donors bind the third Cu ion. The EPR spectrum of this complex shows the signal for a mononuclear Cu(II) center bound to a tridentate arm, while the remaining two Cu(II) centers are coupled through hydroxo groups. The CD spectrum shows that in the free ligand a severe reduction of the dihedral angle between the naphthyl groups from the strain free range occurs. This conformation is stabilized by ring stacking interactions with the benzimidazole groups. On complex formation this interaction is removed because the benzimidazole groups are involved in metal binding. In the dinuclear Cu complex the conformation of the binaphthyl chromophore probably approaches the strain free range, while in the trinuclear Cu complex a marked flattening of the dihedral angle between the two naphthyl rings occurs. Both complexes are active catalysts in the oxidation of L-/D-Dopa derivatives to quinones. High enantioselectivity is observed in the oxidation of L-/D-Dopa methyl ester catalyzed by the dinuclear Cu complex, which exhibits strong preference for the d enantiomer. The enantioselectivity is largely lost for the trinuclear Cu complex.     

Ethics in OR/MS: Past,present and future

The pervasiveness and impact on society and on every day human life of technology has led to a growing awareness that science and technology cannot be considered above or beyond the realm of value judgements and hence of ethics. This is especially true for Operations Research / Management Science (OR/MS), that particular science which is concerned with methodologies for scientifically deciding how to design and operate man-machine systems in an optimal way, usually under conditions requiring the allocation of scarce resources. Here we try to give a historical account of the growing interest for ethics within the OR/MS community from its birth to present days. Starting from attempts to define models and codes of ethical behaviour in our profession, the OR/MS community has arrived at more fundamental questions about the ethical responsibility it faces in a world of growing inequalities and in which the ever greater stress that human activities impose on the environment puts at risk the very survival of human kind.     

A MIP approach for some practical packing problems: Balancing constraints and tetris-like items

This paper considers packing problems with balancing conditions and items consisting of clusters of parallelepipeds (mutually orthogonal, i.e. tetris-like items). This issue is quite frequent in space engineering and a real-world application deals with the Automated Transfer Vehicle project (funded by the European Space Agency), at present under development. A Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) approach is proposed. The three-dimensional single bin packing problem is considered. It consists of orthogonally placing, with possibility of rotation, the maximum number of parallelepipeds into a given parallelepiped. A MIP formulation of the problem is reported together with a MIP-based heuristic approach. Balancing conditions are furthermore examined, as well as the orthogonal placement (with rotation) of tetris-like items into a rectangular domain.Received: September 2003, Revised: February 2004, AMS classification: 90B99, 05B40, 90C90, 90C59Thanks are due to T. A. Ciriani for the important suggestions given for the whole paper and to S. Gliozzi (IBM, Business Consulting Services) for the significant support offered, in particular in discussing the topics presented in Sect. 2.1.     

Tests of Lorentz invariance using a microwave resonator

The frequencies of a cryogenic sapphire oscillator and a hydrogen maser are compared to set new constraints on a possible violation of Lorentz invariance. We determine the variation of the oscillator frequency as a function of its orientation (Michelson-Morley test) and of its velocity (Kennedy-Thorndike test) with respect to a preferred frame candidate. We constrain the corresponding parameters of the Mansouri and Sexl test theory to delta-beta + 1/2 = (1.5+/-4.2) x 10(-9) and beta-alpha - 1= (-3.1+/-6.9) x 10(-7) which is of the same order as the best previous result for the former and represents a 30-fold improvement for the latter.     

Soliton-based Y-branch in photorefractive crystals induced through dispersion-shifted optical fiber

We experimentally demonstrate for what is believed to be the first time that a dispersion-shifted fiber can be used to electro-optically induce a soliton Y-branch structure in a photorefractive centrosymmetric paraelectric crystal (potassium lithium tantalate niobate). The application of a nonstationary external bias field enables us to stabilize the spatially partially coherent behavior of the optical beam at the fiber output. Furthermore, we show the switching capabilities of this soliton-based device in the optical communication field guiding a probe beam at a nonphotorefractive wavelength (1557 nm).     

The Effect of the Geometry of the Particle Distribution in Ostwald Ripening

Based on [1], we derive equations for the radii and the centers that we relate to the Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner theory. N.D.A. and G.K. were partially supported by a ENE 99/527 interdisciplinary grant in Materials, and by a grant from the University of Athens. N.D.A. would like to thank also the people at BYU for providing extraordinary hospitality and a stimulating environment during his visit in the Fall of 2000.N.D.A. and G.K. were partially supported by a ENE 99/527 interdisciplinary grant in Materials, and by a grant from the University of Athens. N.D.A. would like to thank also the people at BYU for providing extraordinary hospitality and a stimulating environment during his visit in the Fall of 2000.