Improved lower bounds for the online bin stretching problem

We use game theory techniques to automatically compute improved lower bounds on the competitive ratio for the bin stretching problem. Using these techniques, we improve the best lower bound for this problem to 19/14. We explain the technique and show that it can be generalized to compute lower bounds for any online or semi-online packing or scheduling problem.     

A multi-objective capacitated rural school bus routing problem with heterogeneous fleet and mixed loads

Four multi-objective meta-heuristic algorithms are presented to solve a multi-objective capacitated rural school bus routing problem with a heterogeneous fleet and mixed loads. Three objectives are considered: the total weighted traveling time of the students, the balance of routes among drivers, and the routing costs. The proposed methods were compared with one from the literature, and their performance assessed observing three multi-objective metrics: cardinality, coverage, and hyper-volume. All four devised methods outperformed the one from the literature. The algorithm with a path relinking procedure embedded during the crowding distance selection scheme had the best overall performance.     

Heuristics and lower bounds for minimizing fuel consumption in hybrid-electrical vehicles

In hybrid electric vehicles, the electrical powertrain system has multiple energy sources that it can gather power from to satisfy the propulsion power requested by the vehicle at each instant. This paper focusses on the minimization of the fuel consumption of such a vehicle, taking advantage of the different energy sources. Based on global optimization approaches, the proposed heuristics find solutions that best split the power requested between the multi-electrical sources available. A lower bounding procedure is introduced to validate the quality of the solutions. Computational results show a significant improvement over previous results from the literature in both the computing time and the quality of the solutions.     

Robust optimization of uncertain multistage inventory systems with inexact data in decision rules

In production-inventory problems customer demand is often subject to uncertainty. Therefore, it is challenging to design production plans that satisfy both demand and a set of constraints on e.g. production capacity and required inventory levels. Adjustable robust optimization (ARO) is a technique to solve these dynamic (multistage) production-inventory problems. In ARO, the decision in each stage is a function of the data on the realizations of the uncertain demand gathered from the previous periods. These data, however, are often inaccurate; there is much evidence in the information management literature that data quality in inventory systems is often poor. Reliance on data “as is” may then lead to poor performance of “data-driven” methods such as ARO. In this paper, we remedy this weakness of ARO by introducing a model that treats past data itself as an uncertain model parameter. We show that computational tractability of the robust counterparts associated with this extension of ARO is still maintained. The benefits of the new model are demonstrated by a numerical test case of a well-studied production-inventory problem. Our approach is also applicable to other ARO models outside the realm of production-inventory planning.     

A Logical Analysis of the Anselm’s Unum Argumentum (from <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Proslogion</Emphasis>)

Anselm of Cantorbery wrote Proslogion (1077–1078), where is formulated the famous ‘Unum argumentum’ about the existence of God. This argument was been disputed and criticized by numerous logicians from an extensional view point. The classical predicate logic is not able to give a formal frame to develop an adequate analysis of this argument. According to us, this argument is not an ontological proof; it analyses the meaning of the “quo nihil maius cogitari posit”, a characterization of God, and establish, by absurd, that “quod non posit cogitare non esse” by using the hypothesis: “to think in re” is taller than “to think in solo intelectu”. We discuss this relation and the difference between the meanings of the elementary predicates ‘to be in re’, ‘to be in intellectu’ and ‘to be in solo intellectu’. We propose a new logical approach of this ‘Unum argumentum’ of Anselm by using Curry’s Combinatory Logic (1958, 1973). Indeed, Combinatory Logic is an abstract applicative formalism of operators applied to operands; in this formalism, the predicates, viewed as specific operators, can be composed and can be transformed, by an intrinsic way, into more complex predicates, by means of abstract operators, called “combinators”, studied by Combinatory Logic. We show that this formalism is a logical frame where it becomes possible to discuss and to formulate cognitive representations of the meanings of predicates used inside of the ‘Unum argumentum’ and to explain how the argument runs.     

Self-Extensional Three-Valued Paraconsistent Logics

A logic \(\mathbf{L}\) is called self-extensional if it allows to replace occurrences of a formula by occurrences of an \(\mathbf{L}\)-equivalent one in the context of claims about logical consequence and logical validity. It is known that no three-valued paraconsistent logic which has an implication can be self-extensional. In this paper we show that in contrast, there is exactly one self-extensional three-valued paraconsistent logic in the language of \(\{\lnot ,\wedge ,\vee \}\) for which \(\vee \) is a disjunction, and \(\wedge \) is a conjunction. We also investigate the main properties of this logic, determine the expressive power of its language (in the three-valued context), and provide a cut-free Gentzen-type proof system for it.     

A Proof-Theoretic Semantics for Exclusion

The paper provides a proof-theory (natural deduction and sequent calculus) for a negative presentation of classical logic based on a single primitive of exclusion (of variable arity), generalizing the known presentation via the binary ‘nand. The completeness is established via deductive equivalence to Gentzens NK/LK systems.     

Admissibility in Positive Logics

The paper studies admissibility of multiple-conclusion rules in positive logics. Using modification of a method employed by M. Wajsberg in the proof of the separation theorem, it is shown that the problem of admissibility of multiple-conclusion rules in the positive logics is equivalent to the problem of admissibility in intermediate logics defined by positive additional axioms. Moreover, a multiple-conclusion rule \(\mathsf {r}\) follows from a set of multiple-conclusion rules \(\mathsf {R}\) over a positive logic \(\mathsf {P}\) if and only if \(\mathsf {r}\) follows from \(\mathsf {R}\) over \(\mathbf {Int}+ \mathsf {P}\).     

On Galvin’s theorem for compact Hausdorff right-topological semigroups with dense topological centers

We generalize an important theorem of Fred Galvin from the Stone-Cˇech compactification βT of any discrete semigroup T to any compact Hausdorff right-topological semigroup with a dense topological center;and then apply it to Ellis' semigroups to prove that a point is distal if and only if it is IP*-recurrent, for any semiflow(T, X) with arbitrary compact Hausdorff phase space X not necessarily metrizable and with arbitrary phase semigroup T not necessarily cancelable.     

Carleson measures,BMO spaces and balayages associated to Schrdinger operators

Let L be a Schrdinger operator of the form L =-? + V acting on L~2(R~n), n≥3, where the nonnegative potential V belongs to the reverse Hlder class B_q for some q≥n. Let BMO_L(R~n) denote the BMO space associated to the Schrdinger operator L on R~n. In this article, we show that for every f ∈ BMO_L(R~n) with compact support, then there exist g ∈ L~∞(R~n) and a finite Carleson measure μ such that f(x) = g(x) + S_(μ,P)(x) with ∥g∥∞ + |||μ|||c≤ C∥f∥BMO_L(R~n), where S_(μ,P)=∫(R_+~(n+1))Pt(x,y)dμ(y, t),and Pt(x, y) is the kernel of the Poisson semigroup {e-~(t(L)~(1/2))}t0 on L~2(R~n). Conversely, if μ is a Carleson measure, then S_(μ,P) belongs to the space BMO_L(R~n). This extends the result for the classical John-Nirenberg BMO space by Carleson(1976)(see also Garnett and Jones(1982), Uchiyama(1980) and Wilson(1988)) to the BMO setting associated to Schrdinger operators.