Gradient-Constrained Minimum Networks. III. Fixed Topology

The gradient-constrained Steiner tree problem asks for a shortest total length network interconnecting a given set of points in 3-space, where the length of each edge of the network is determined by embedding it as a curve with absolute gradient no more than a given positive value m, and the network may contain additional nodes known as Steiner points. We study the problem for a fixed topology, and show that, apart from a few easily classified exceptions, if the positions of the Steiner points are such that the tree is not minimum for the given topology, then there exists a length reducing perturbation that moves exactly 1 or 2 Steiner points. In the conclusion, we discuss the application of this work to a heuristic algorithm for solving the global problem (across all topologies).     

Solving an Inverse Problem for an Elliptic Equation by d.c. Programming

An inverse problem of determination of a coefficient in an elliptic equation is considered. This problem is ill-posed in the sense of Hadamard and Tikhonov's regularization method is used for solving it in a stable way. This method requires globally solving nonconvex optimization problems, the solution methods for which have been very little studied in the inverse problems community. It is proved that the objective function of the corresponding optimization problem for our inverse problem can be represented as the difference of two convex functions (d.c. functions), and the difference of convex functions algorithm (DCA) in combination with a branch-and-bound technique can be used to globally solve it. Numerical examples are presented which show the efficiency of the method.     

Invariant imbedding,iterative linearization,and multistage countercurrent processes. VI. Complex distillation column and multipoint boundary value problem

The complex distillation column problem is formulated as a multipoint boundary value problem in difference equations. It is shown that this nonlinear multipoint boundary value problem can be solved easily by the quasilinearization technique. With very rough initial approximations, only ten iterations are needed to obtain a four digit accuracy in concentrations. The advantage of this approach is that the complex column can be solved in essentially the same way as the simple column with approximately the same computation requirements.     

A. A. Dezin’s problem for inhomogeneous Lavrent’ev–Bitsadze equation

We establish a uniqueness criterion for solution of nonlocal Dezin’s problem for an equation of mixed elliptic-hyperbolic type. The solution is constructed as a sum of a series in eigenfunctions of the corresponding one-dimensional spectral problem. In the proof of its convergence there arises a problem on small denominators arises. Under certain restrictions on the given parameters and functions we prove the convergence of constructed series in the class of regular solutions.     

Finite-element analysis of contact problems in thermoelasticity. The semi-coercive case

Numerical analysis of the Signorini problem with friction in two-dimensional quasi coupled linear thermoelasticity is investigated. Piecewise linear finite elements on the triangulation of the given domain Ω ² with polygonal boundary ∂Ω are used. In this contribution we establish the rate of convergence of the finite-element approximate solution u_h, provided the exact solution is smooth enough. In general the problem represents the model problem of a great number of branches, such as the model problem of a high-level radioactive waste disposal system as well as the model problem of geodynamcis and biomechanics, etc.     

Solutions to two problems of G. J. Wang

The problem as to whether the sub-T₀ separation and complete regularity are invariant under homeomorphism is answered negatively. And, the problem of multiplicativity of the complete regularity in general L-fuzzy topological spaces is also answered negatively.     

Completion problems forj pq-inner functions. I.

This paper studies various completion problems for a subclass ofj _pq-inner functions. Special attention is drawn to so-calledA-normalizedj _pq-elementary factors of full-rank, which are closely related to the matricial Schur problem. Finally, as an application an inverse problem for Carathéodory sequences is answered.     

A D.C. optimization method for single facility location problems

The single facility location problem with general attraction and repulsion functions is considered. An algorithm based on a representation of the objective function as the difference of two convex (d.c.) functions is proposed. Convergence to a global solution of the problem is proven and extensive computational experience with an implementation of the procedure is reported for up to 100,000 points. The procedure is also extended to solve conditional and limited distance location problems. We report on limited computational experiments on these extensions.This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation Grant DDM-91-14489.     

Vector-valued Lg-splines II. Smoothing splines

In the first paper of this series, Lg-spline theory was extended to the vector-valued interpolating case. Here this work is complemented by giving the extension for smoothing splines. The problem is formulated as a constrained minimum norm problem in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space, and solved recursively using a congruent stochastic estimation model.     

The U.S. Navy explores detailing cost reduction via Data Envelopment Analysis

In this paper we show how a variation of Data Envelopment Analysis, the Generalized Symmetric Weight Assignment Technique, is used to assign sailors to jobs for the U.S. Navy. This method differs from others as the assignment is a multi-objective problem where the importance of each objective, called a metric, is determined by the decision-maker and promoted within the assignment problem. We explore how the method performs as the importance of particular metrics increases. Finally, we show that the proposed method leads to substantial cost savings for the U.S. Navy without degrading the resulting assignments’ performance on other metrics.     

About the Power Law of the PageRank Vector Component Distribution. Part 1. Numerical Methods for Finding the PageRank Vector

In Part 1 of this paper we consider the web-page ranking problem, also known as the problem of finding the PageRank vector, or the Google problem. We discuss the link between this problem and the ergodic theorem and describe different numerical methods to solve this problem together with their theoretical background, such asMarkov chain Monte Carlo and equilibrium in a macrosystem.     

A local search method for optimization problem with d.c. inequality constraints

This paper addresses a nonconvex optimization problem with the cost function and inequality constraints given by d.c. functions. The original problem is reduced to a problem without inequality constraints by the exact penalization procedure. A special local search method for the penalized problem is developed, which is based, first, on the linearization procedure with respect to the basic nonconvexity and, second, on the consecutive solutions of linearized convex problems. Convergence properties of the method are investigated. In particular, it is shown that a limit point of the sequence produced by the method is considerably stronger than the usual KKT-vector.In addition, the relations between an approximate solution of linearized convex problem and the KKT-vector of the original problem are established, and the various stopping criteria are substantiated. Besides, we established the relations among the Lagrange multipliers of the original problem, those ones of the linearized problem, and the value of the penalty parameter. Finally, a preliminary computational testing of the LSM developed has been carried out on several test problems taken from literature.     

Nonlocal regularization of L. C. Young's tacking problem

L. C. Young's tacking problem is a prototype of a nonconvex variational problem for which minimizing sequences for the energy do not attain a minimum. The minimizer of the energy is usually described as a Young-measure or generalized curve. In many studies, the tacking problem is regularized by adding a higher-order viscosity term to the energy. This regularized energy has classical minimizers. In this paper we regularize instead with a spatially nonlocal term. This weakly regularized problem still has measure-valued minimizers, but as the nonlocal term becomes stronger, the measure-valued solutions organize, coalesce, and eventually turn into classical solutions. The information on the measure-valued solutions is obtained by studying equivalent variational problems involving moments of the measures.The research of D. Brandon has been partially supported by the Office of Naval Research under Grant Number N00014-88-K-0417 and by DARPA Grant F4920-87-C-0116, and that of R. C. Rogers has been partially supported by the Office of Naval Research under Grant Number N00014-88-K-0417 and by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number DMS-8801412.     

Fitting differential equation models to observed economic data—I. quasilinearization

This paper discusses the fitting of differential equation models to economic data. In particular, it treats the problem of describing the growth of capital in terms of a differential equation containing several parameters. The parameters are to be estimated on the basis of data. This estimation problem is formulated as a nonlinear boundary value problem. The rapidly convergent successive approximation method of quasilinearization is described and applied. Representative results of numerical experiments are presented, showing the effectiveness of the approach. Suggestions for additional studies are made.     

Inverse problems of the plane theory of elasticity : PMM vol. 38, n 6, 1974, pp. 963–979

In connection with the fact that failure of a structure ordinarily starts at sites of the most acute stress concentrations near cavitiies, it is of interest to determine the shape of the equally strong outlines of holes on which the technologically inevitable stress concentration would be least as compared with all other outlines.An effective exact solution of some inverse plane problems of the theory of elasticity concerning the determination of equally strong outlines of holes is proposed. A formulation of the problem is given first and the fundamental relationships are presented. Then the general problem for any number of holes in an infinite plane is reduced to a standard Dirichlet problem for the exterior of the same number of parallel slits on a parametric plane. An effective exact solution is found by this method for the case of one and two holes as well as for the case of periodic and doubly-periodic series of holes. The question of application of the solutions obtained to the theory of a minimum weight structure is considered.     

From Fibring to Cryptofibring. A Solution to the Collapsing Problem

The semantic collapse problem is perhaps the main difficulty associated to the very powerful mechanism for combining logics known as fibring. In this paper we propose cryptofibred semantics as a generalization of fibred semantics, and show that it provides a solution to the collapsing problem. In particular, given that the collapsing problem is a special case of failure of conservativeness, we formulate and prove a sufficient condition for cryptofibring to yield a conservative extension of the logics being combined. For illustration, we revisit the example of combining intuitionistic and classical propositional logics. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 03B22 (03B35, 03G25, 03G30)     

关于S.N.Bernstein问题的新研究

该文利用两点修正的方法构造了一个三角插值多项式算子Ｔｎ（ｆ;ｒ,ｘ）,进一步讨论了Ｓ．Ｎ．Ｂｅｒｎｓｔｅｉｎ问题,圆满地回答了Ｓ．Ｎ．Ｂｅｒｎｓｔｅｉｎ问题。     

Cold vs. hot standby mission operation cost minimization for 1-out-of-N systems

It is well recognized that using the hot standby redundancy provides fast restoration in the case of failures. However the redundant elements are exposed to working stresses before they are used, which reduces the overall system reliability. Moreover, the cost of maintaining the hot redundant elements in the operational state is usually much greater than the cost of keeping them in the cold standby mode. Therefore, there exists a tradeoff between the cost of losses associated with the restoration delays and the operation cost of standby elements. Such a trade-off can be obtained by designing both hot and cold redundancy types into the same system. Thus a new optimization problem arises for the standby system design. The problem, referred to in this work as optimal standby element distributing and sequencing problem (SE-DSP) is to distribute a fixed set of elements between cold and hot standby groups and select the element initiation sequence so as to minimize the expected mission operation cost of the system while providing a desired level of system reliability. This paper first formulates and solves the SE-DSP problem for 1-out-of-N: G heterogeneous non-repairable standby systems. A numerical method is proposed for evaluating the system reliability and expected mission cost simultaneously. This method is based on discrete approximation of time-to-failure distributions of the system elements. A genetic algorithm is used as an optimization tool for solving the formulated optimization problem. Examples are given to illustrate the considered problem and the proposed solution methodology.     

On a variational problem with unknown boundaries and the determination of optimal shapes of elastic bodies : PMM vol. 39, n 6, 1975, pp. 1082–1092

The optimization problem is considered for a partial differential equation of elliptic type. The boundary of the domain in which the equation is given emerges as the control function and is to be determined from the condition of the extremum of the integral of the solution of the boundary value problem. Seeking the extremals is reduced to solving a va national problem without differential constraints. Necessary conditions for optimality are obtained, and shapes of elastic bars possessing the maximum stiffness under torsion are found with their aid.     

Quantum Backreaction (Casimir) Effect I. What are Admissible Idealizations?

Casimir effect, in a broad interpretation which we adopt here, consists in a backreaction of a quantum system to adiabatically changing external conditions. Although the system is usually taken to be a quantum field, we show that this restriction rather blurs than helps to clarify the statement of the problem. We discuss the problem from the point of view of algebraic structure of quantum theory, which is most appropriate in this context. The system in question may be any quantum system, among others both finite- as infinite-dimensional canonical systems are allowed. A simple finite-dimensional model is discussed. We identify precisely the source of difficulties and infinities in most of traditional treatments of the problem for infinite-dimensional systems (such as quantum fields), which is incompatibility of algebras of observables or their representations. We formulate conditions on model idealizations which are acceptable for the discussion of the adiabatic backreaction problem. In the case of quantum field models in that class we find that the normal ordered energy density is a well-defined distribution, yielding global energy in the limit of a unit test function. Although we see the “zero point” expressions as inappropriate, we show how they can arise in the quantum field theory context as a result of uncontrollable manipulations.Communicated by Klaus Fredenhagensubmitted 13/04/04, accepted 24/11/04