A solution procedure for a pattern sequencing problem as part of a one-dimensional cutting stock problem in the steel industry

To cut reinforcing bars for concrete buildings, machines are used which have compartments to store the cut orders until the requirement is met. Number and size of these compartments restrict kind and processing sequence of possible cutting patterns. In this paper we present the so-called “Sequencing algorithm” that tackles the problem of finding a processing sequence for the cutting patterns starting from an integer solution of the cutting stock problem and using an interpretation of relations between orders in patterns as a graph. Computational results are reported.     

Spiral patterns near Turing instability in a discrete reaction diffusion system

In this paper, linear stability analysis is applied to an exponential discrete Lotka–Volterra system, which describes the competition between two identical species. Conditions for the Turing instability are obtained and the emergence of spiral patterns is demonstrated by means of numerical simulations in the vicinity of the bifurcation point. Moreover, the impact of crucial system parameters on the stability and coherence of spiral patterns is illustrated on several examples.     

Chaos,solitons and fractals in hidden symmetry models

A spontaneous symmetry breaking (or hidden symmetry) model is reduced to a system nonlinear evolution equations integrable via an appropriate change of variables, by means of the asymptotic perturbation (AP) method, based on spatio-temporal rescaling and Fourier expansion. It is demonstrated the existence of coherent solutions as well as chaotic and fractal patterns, due to the possibility of selecting appropriately some arbitrary functions. Dromion, lump, breather, instanton and ring soliton solutions are derived and the interaction between these coherent solutions are completely elastic, because they pass through each other and preserve their shapes and velocities, the only change being a phase shift. Finally, one can construct lower dimensional chaotic patterns such as chaotic–chaotic patterns, periodic–chaotic patterns, chaotic soliton and dromion patterns. In a similar way, fractal dromion and lump patterns as well as stochastic fractal excitations can appear in the solution.     

A microcrack-based continuum damage model with application towards refractories

The present work discusses numerical results of damage evolution due to thermoshock processes at refractory ceramics. Damage patterns have been generated using a two-scale approach for brittle materials, implemented into a finite element framework. For this purpose, a cell model has been employed, incorporating cracks on a microscopic level. The impact of these discontinuities on macroscopic material properties and damage evolution is determined with the help of analytical homogenization techniques. Finally, the potential of the numerical tool is demonstrated by means of refractory bricks, being imposed by thermomechanical loading. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Automatic generation of nonperiodic patterns from dynamical systems

A new and fast algorithm is presented in this paper for the automatic generation of aesthetic patterns on nonperiodic tilings by means of dynamical systems. The Chair and the Sphinx tilings are used as illustrations. Invariant mappings are constructed for the creation of striking patterns on these tilings. A modified convergence time scheme is described to enhance the artistic appeal of generated images. This algorithm can be used to create a great variety of exotic patterns with various nonperiodicities.     

Graphing in Groups: Learning About Lines in a Collaborative Classroom Network Environment

This article presents a design experiment in which we explore new structures for classroom collaboration supported by a classroom network of handheld graphing calculators. We describe a design for small group investigations of linear functions and present findings from its implementation in three high school algebra classrooms. Our coding of the problem-solving efforts of six student focus pairs in this environment over the course of several class sessions indicates that these students tended to move from exploratory and visual to more analytic means of establishing lines of a specified slope. As they adopted these analytic approaches, they were also more likely to enact their strategies jointly. In closer examination of emerging analytic strategies in episodes selected from the work of one of the pairs, we argue that the processes by which these students discovered the need for coordinated action on their respective points, and came to establish mathematical meaning for the relations between their coordinate locations as slope, were overlapping and intertwined.     

Norm Inequalities Related to the Heron and Heinz Means

In this article, we present several inequalities treating operator means and the Cauchy–Schwarz inequality. In particular, we present some new comparisons between operator Heron and Heinz means, several generalizations of the difference version of the Heinz means and further refinements of the Cauchy–Schwarz inequality. The techniques used to accomplish these results include convexity and Löwner matrices.     

Capacity planning in manufacturing networks with discrete options

We consider multiproduct manufacturing systems modeled by open networks of queues with general distributions for arrival patterns and service times. Since exact solutions are not available for measuring mean number of jobs in these systems, we rely on approximate analyses based on the decomposition approach developed, among others, by Reiser and Kobayashi [16], Kuehn [14], Shanthikumar and Buzacott [19], Whitt [29], and extensions by Bitran and Tirupati [2]. The targeting problem (TP) presented in this paper addresses capacity planning issues in multiproduct manufacturing systems. Since TP is a nonlinear integer program that is not easy to solve, we present a heuristic to obtain an approximate solution. We also provide bounds on the performance of this heuristic and illustrate our approach by means of a numerical example.     

Connected generalised Sierpiński carpets

Generalised Sierpiński carpets are planar sets that generalise the well-known Sierpiński carpet and are defined by means of sequences of patterns. We present necessary and sufficient conditions, under which generalised Sierpiński carpets are connected, with respect to Euclidean topology.     

Unveiling connectivity patterns of categories in complex systems: An application to human needs in urban places

We present a methodology based on weighted networks and dependence coefficients aimed at revealing connectivity patterns between categories. As a case study, it is applied to an urban place and at two spatial levels—neighborhood and square—where categories correspond to human needs. Our results show that diverse spatial levels present different and nontrivial patterns of need emergence. A numerical model indicates that these patterns depend on the probability distribution of weights. We suggest that this way of analyzing the connectivity of categories (human needs in our case study) in social and ecological systems can be used to define new strategies to cope with complex processes, such as those related to transition management and governance, urban-making, and integrated planning.     

Methodenvariation mittels Dynamischer Geometrie—exemplarisch

Methods are mostly demonstrated using various mathematical topics or topics which can be mathematized instead of using various methods in order to explore topics. The causes for this domination are of curricular nature. A balance of these two basic patterns of mathematics teaching can be achieved by applying the spiral principle and the principle of computer-based variation of methods. This is demonstrated in the present contribution by means of dynamics geometry using “Rectangles with equal circumference or area” (grades 5–10) as an example. An argumentation on school algebra level for the computer-generated phenomenology is given. This contribution ends with a remark on necessary thematic extensions and unsolved interface problems when various media-specific methods are used.     

The simplified partial digest problem: Approximation and a graph-theoretic model

The goal of the simplified partial digest problem (SPDP) is motivated by the reconstruction of the linear structure of a DNA chain with respect to a given nucleotide pattern, based on the multiset of distances between the adjacent patterns (interpoint distances) and the multiset of distances between each pattern and the two unlabeled endpoints of the DNA chain (end distances). We consider optimization versions of the problem, called SPDP-Min and SPDP-Max. The aim of SPDP-Min (SPDP-Max) is to find a DNA linear structure with the same multiset of end distances and the minimum (maximum) number of incorrect (correct) interpoint distances. Results are presented on the worst-case efficiency of approximation algorithms for these problems. We suggest a graph-theoretic model for SPDP-Min and SPDP-Max, which can be used to reduce the search space for an optimal solution in either of these problems. We also present heuristic polynomial time algorithms based on this model. In computational experiments with randomly generated and real-life input data, our best algorithm delivered an optimal solution in 100% of the instances for a number of restriction sites not greater than 50.     

Optimising the cutting of wood fibre plates in the hardboard industry

Hardboard companies transform eucalyptus trunks into rectangular wood fibre plates basically by means of processes of disintegration and reconstitution of wood fibres. Such plates called hardboards are then cut into ordered items (smaller rectangles) to satisfy customer demands. In this paper, we present approaches to generate cutting patterns that minimize the cost or waste of material, considering different particular constraints associated with longitudinal and transversal saws, head cuts, book rotation and item unloading stations of the cutting machine. The methods are based on dynamic programming recursive formulas combined with greedy constructive heuristics and the primal simplex algorithm. To illustrate the application of these approaches, a case study was carried out in a Brazilian hardboard company. The results show that the approaches are able to produce better solutions than the ones currently used by the company.     

Asymptotic behaviour of the containment of certain mesh patterns

We present some results on the proportion of permutations of length n containing certain mesh patterns as n grows large, and give exact enumeration results in some cases. In particular, we focus on mesh patterns where entire rows and columns are shaded. We prove some general results which apply to mesh patterns of any length, and then consider mesh patterns of length four. An important consequence of these results is to show that the proportion of permutations containing a mesh pattern can take a wide range of values between 0 and 1.     

Classes of network connectivity and dynamics

Many kinds of complex systems exhibit characteristic patterns of temporal correlations that emerge as the result of functional interactions within a structured network. One such complex system is the brain, composed of numerous neuronal units linked by synaptic connections. The activity of these neuronal units gives rise to dynamic states that are characterized by specific patterns of neuronal activation and co‐activation. These patterns, called functional connectivity, are possible neural correlates of perceptual and cognitive processes. Which functional connectivity patterns arise depends on the anatomical structure of the underlying network, which in turn is modified by a broad range of activity‐dependent processes. Given this intricate relationship between structure and function, the question of how patterns of anatomical connectivity constrain or determine dynamical patterns is of considerable theoretical importance. The present study develops computational tools to analyze networks in terms of their structure and dynamics. We identify different classes of network, including networks that are characterized by high complexity. These highly complex networks have distinct structural characteristics such as clustered connectivity and short wiring length similar to those of large‐scale networks of the cerebral cortex. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Approximating the relationship among the degree of the reaction forces and the nodes on footprint during a stance phase

This study examined the foot biomechanics that are utilized when foot is in contact with the ground during a stance phase. The purpose of the study was to investigate the normalized ground reaction forces that impacted certain sections and points on the footprint, and to identify patterns in the degrees to which these forces occurred. Foot was modeled in such a manner that a vertex represented a bone and an edge represented a joint, and a graph that depicted the foot was created. Twelve nodes were marked on the footprint and these were linked together to create a gait path. By fusing the graph and the gait path and by manipulating the mathematical models, a profile for an ideal bipedal walking locomotion was developed. A male subject performed bipedal walking through a force plate system in order to obtain the profile that reflected actual bipedal walking. The actual and the proposed profiles were compared and there were significant similarities between the two profiles, with both exhibiting an double-bump pattern. It is therefore viable that the approximation techniques proposed in this work may provide an alternative means over the application of a force plate system to generate a profile for bipedal walking. However, the accuracy and reliability of the results yielded from this technique need further investigation.     

Superconvergence analysis of the Galerkin FEM for a singularly perturbed convection–diffusion problem with characteristic layers

We analyze the superconvergence property of the Galerkin finite element method (FEM) for elliptic convection–diffusion problems with characteristic layers. This method on Shishkin meshes is known to be almost first‐order accurate (up to a logarithmic factor) in the energy norm induced by the bilinear form of the weak formulation, uniformly in the perturbation parameter. In the present paper the method is shown to be almost second‐order superconvergent in this energy norm for the difference between the FEM solution and the bilinear interpolant of the exact solution. This supercloseness property is used to improve the accuracy to almost second order by means of a postprocessing procedure. Numerical experiments confirm these results. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2007     

Means of Hermitian positive-definite matrices based on the log-determinant α-divergence function

The set of Hermitian positive-definite matrices plays fundamental roles in many disciplines such as mathematics, numerical analysis, probability and statistics, engineering, and biological and social sciences. In the last few years, there has been a renewable interest in developing the theory of means for elements in this set. This is due to theoretical and practical implications. In this work we present a one-parameter family of divergence functions for measuring distances between Hermitian positive-definite matrices. We then study the invariance properties of these divergence functions as well as the matrix means based on them. We also give globally convergent algorithms for computing these means.     

Estimating Iraqi deaths: a case study with implications for mathematics education

In this paper, I present an account of attempts to quantify deaths of Iraqis during the occupation by US and other forces since the invasion of March 2003, and of the reactions to these attempts. This story illuminates many aspects of current socio-political reality, particularly, but by no means exclusively, in the United States. Here, these aspects are selectively discussed in relation to the overarching themes of what the story illuminates about the uses of statistical information in society and about shortcomings in mathematics education.