On the complexity of the multicut problem in bounded tree-width graphs and digraphs

Given an edge- or vertex-weighted graph or digraph and a list of source-sink pairs, the minimum multicut problem consists in selecting a minimum weight set of edges or vertices whose removal leaves no path from each source to the corresponding sink. This is a classical NP-hard problem, and we show that the edge version becomes tractable in bounded tree-width graphs if the number of source-sink pairs is fixed, but remains NP-hard in directed acyclic graphs and APX-hard in bounded tree-width and bounded degree unweighted digraphs. The vertex version, although tractable in trees, is proved to be NP-hard in unweighted cacti of bounded degree and bounded path-width.     

Hardness of lazy packing and covering

We prove APX-hardness for the two problems maximum resource bin packing and lazy bin covering. Simple algorithms matching the best absolute bounds under the assumption P≠NP are also derived.     

Differentiability of the volume of a region enclosed by level sets

The level of a function f on Rn encloses a region. The volume of a region between two such levels depends on both levels. Fixing one of them the volume becomes a function of the remaining level. We show that if the function f is smooth, the volume function is again smooth for regular values of f. For critical values of f the volume function is only finitely differentiable. The initial motivation for this study comes from Radiotherapy, where such volume functions are used in an optimization process. Thus their differentiability properties become important.     

Letter to the Editor: A note on the preconditioned Gauss-Seidel (GS) method for linear systems

Wen Li (J. Comput. Appl. Math., 182 (2005) 81-90) asserted that there are some errors in article by Hiroshi Niki, Kyouji Harada, Munenori Morimoto and Michio Sakakihara (J. Comput. Appl. Math., 164-165 (2004) 587-600). And Li presented a new proof for the corresponding results in H. Niki et al. In this paper, we point out some errors in Li’s assertion. Moreover, we show that a new proof presented by Li is imperfect.     

Optimal interleaving schemes for correcting two-dimensional cluster errors

We present an elementary theory of optimal interleaving schemes for correcting cluster errors in two-dimensional digital data. It is assumed that each data page contains a fixed number of, say n, codewords with each codeword consisting of m code symbols and capable of correcting a single random error (or erasure). The goal is to interleave the codewords in the m×n array such that different symbols from each codeword are separated as much as possible, and consequently, an arbitrary error burst with size up to t can be corrected for the largest possible value of t. We show that, for any given m, n, the maximum possible interleaving distance, or equivalently, the largest size of correctable error bursts in an m×n array, is given by if n?⌈m²/2⌉, and t=m+⌊(n-⌈m²/2⌉)/m⌋ if n?⌈m²/2⌉. Furthermore, we develop a simple cyclic shifting algorithm that can provide a systematic construction of an m×n optimal interleaving array for arbitrary m and n. This extends important earlier work on the complementary problem of constructing interleaving arrays that, given the burst size t, minimize the interleaving degree, that is, the number of different codewords in a 2-D (or 3-D) array such that any error burst with given size t can be corrected. Our interleaving scheme thus provides the maximum burst error correcting power without requiring prior knowledge of the size or shape of an error burst.     

Binary relations and reduced hypergroups

Different partial hypergroupoids are associated with binary relations defined on a set H. In this paper we find sufficient and necessary conditions for these hypergroupoids in order to be reduced hypergroups. Given two binary relations ρ and σ on H we investigate when the hypergroups associated with the relations ρ∩σ, ρ∪σ and ρσ are reduced. We also determine when the cartesian product of two hypergroupoids associated with a binary relation is a reduced hypergroup.     

Optimization and sensitivity analysis of controlling arrivals in the queueing system with single working vacation

This paper analyzes the F-policy M/M/1/K queueing system with working vacation and an exponential startup time. The F-policy deals with the issue of controlling arrivals to a queueing system, and the server requires a startup time before allowing customers to enter the system. For the queueing systems with working vacation, the server can still provide service to customers rather than completely stop the service during a vacation period. The matrix-analytic method is applied to develop the steady-state probabilities, and then obtain several system characteristics. We construct the expected cost function and formulate an optimization problem to find the minimum cost. The direct search method and Quasi-Newton method are implemented to determine the optimal system capacity K, the optimal threshold F and the optimal service rates (μ_B,μ_V) at the minimum cost. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to investigate the effect of changes in the system parameters on the expected cost function. Finally, numerical examples are provided for illustration purpose.     

Scalar conservation laws with general boundary condition and continuous flux function

We introduce a notion of entropy solution for a scalar conservation law on a bounded domain with nonhomogeneous boundary condition: ut+divΦ(u)=f on Q=(0,T)×Ω, u(0,⋅)=u₀ on Ω and “u=a on some part of the boundary (0,T)×∂Ω.” Existence and uniqueness of the entropy solution is established for any Φ∈C(R;RN), u₀∈L^∞(Ω), f∈L^∞(Q), a∈L^∞((0,T)×∂Ω). In the L¹-setting, a corresponding result is proved for the more general notion of renormalised entropy solution.     

Decomposition rank and absorbing extensions of type I algebras

We prove the following: Let A and B be separable C^*-algebras. Suppose that B is a type I C^*-algebra such that

(i)

B has only infinite dimensional irreducible *-representations, and

(ii)

B has finite decomposition rank.

If

0→B→C→A→0     

On fractional powers of generators of fractional resolvent families

We show that if −A generates a bounded α-times resolvent family for some α∈(0,2], then −Aβ generates an analytic γ-times resolvent family for and γ∈(0,2). And a generalized subordination principle is derived. In particular, if −A generates a bounded α-times resolvent family for some α∈(1,2], then −A1/α generates an analytic C₀-semigroup. Such relations are applied to study the solutions of Cauchy problems of fractional order and first order.     

Zeros of orthogonal Laurent polynomials and solutions of strong Stieltjes moment problems

The strong Stieltjes moment problem for a bisequence consists of finding positive measures μ with support in [0,∞) such that

     

A new proof of convergence of MCMC via the ergodic theorem

A key result underlying the theory of MCMC is that any η-irreducible Markov chain having a transition density with respect to η and possessing a stationary distribution π is automatically positive Harris recurrent. This paper provides a short self-contained proof of this fact using the ergodic theorem in its standard form as the most advanced tool.     

Further improved recursions for a class of compound Poisson distributions

In the present paper we develop more efficient recursive formulae for the evaluation of the t-order cumulative function Γ^th(x) and the t-order tail probability Λ^th(x) of the class of compound Poisson distributions in the case where the derivative of the probability generating function of the claim amounts can be written as a ratio of two polynomials. These efficient recursions can be applied for the exact evaluation of the probability function (given by De Pril [De Pril, N., 1986a. Improved recursions for some compound Poisson distributions. Insurance Math. Econom. 5, 129-132]), distribution function, tail probability, stop-loss premiums and t-order moments of stop-loss transforms of compound Poisson distributions. Also, efficient recursive algorithms are given for the evaluation of higher-order moments and r-order factorial moments about any point for this class of compound Poisson distributions. Finally, several examples of discrete claim size distributions belonging to this class are also given.     

Minimum monopoly in regular and tree graphs

In this paper we consider a graph optimization problem called minimum monopoly problem, in which it is required to find a minimum cardinality set S⊆V, such that, for each u∈V, |N[u]∩S|?|N[u]|/2 in a given graph G=(V,E). We show that this optimization problem does not have a polynomial-time approximation scheme for k-regular graphs (k?5), unless P=NP. We show this by establishing two L-reductions (an approximation preserving reduction) from minimum dominating set problem for k-regular graphs to minimum monopoly problem for 2k-regular graphs and to minimum monopoly problem for (2k-1)-regular graphs, where k?3. We also show that, for tree graphs, a minimum monopoly set can be computed in linear time.     

Identifying codes and locating-dominating sets on paths and cycles

Let G=(V,E) be a graph and let r≥1 be an integer. For a set D⊆V, define N_r[x]={y∈V:d(x,y)≤r} and D_r(x)=N_r[x]∩D, where d(x,y) denotes the number of edges in any shortest path between x and y. D is known as an r-identifying code (r-locating-dominating set, respectively), if for all vertices x∈V (x∈V?D, respectively), D_r(x) are all nonempty and different. Roberts and Roberts [D.L. Roberts, F.S. Roberts, Locating sensors in paths and cycles: the case of 2-identifying codes, European Journal of Combinatorics 29 (2008) 72-82] provided complete results for the paths and cycles when r=2. In this paper, we provide results for a remaining open case in cycles and complete results in paths for r-identifying codes; we also give complete results for 2-locating-dominating sets in cycles, which completes the results of Bertrand et al. [N. Bertrand, I. Charon, O. Hudry, A. Lobstein, Identifying and locating-dominating codes on chains and cycles, European Journal of Combinatorics 25 (2004) 969-987].     

Workshop lecture on products of Fréchet spaces

The general question, “When is the product of Fréchet spaces Fréchet?” really depends on the questions of when a product of α₄ Fréchet spaces (also known as strongly Fréchet or countably bisequential spaces) is α₄, and when it is Fréchet. Two subclasses of the class of strongly Fréchet spaces shed much light on these questions. These are the class of α₃ Fréchet spaces and its subclass of ℵ₀-bisequential spaces. The latter is closed under countable products, the former not even under finite products. A number of fundamental results and open problems are recalled, some further highlighting the difference between being α₃ and Fréchet and being ℵ₀-bisequential.     

Note on the m-step competition numbers of paths and cycles

Since Cohen introduced the competition graph in 1968, the competition graph has been studied widely and many variations of it have been discussed. In 2000, Cho, Kim and Nam defined and studied the m-step competition graph and computed the 2-step competition numbers of paths and cycles. Recently, Ho gave bounds for the m-step competition numbers of paths and cycles. In this paper we continue to study the m-step competition numbers of paths and cycles, partially improve the results of Ho on the upper bounds of the m-step competition numbers of paths and cycles, and show that a conjecture posed by Ho is not true.     

A superlinear space decomposition algorithm for constrained nonsmooth convex program

A class of constrained nonsmooth convex optimization problems, that is, piecewise C² convex objectives with smooth convex inequality constraints are transformed into unconstrained nonsmooth convex programs with the help of exact penalty function. The objective functions of these unconstrained programs are particular cases of functions with primal-dual gradient structure which has connection with VU space decomposition. Then a VU space decomposition method for solving this unconstrained program is presented. This method is proved to converge with local superlinear rate under certain assumptions. An illustrative example is given to show how this method works.     

Weighted-Hardy functions with Hadamard gaps on the unit ball

We prove that an analytic function f on the unit ball B with Hadamard gaps, that is, (the homogeneous polynomial expansion of f) satisfying n_k+1/n_k?λ>1 for all k∈N, belongs to the space if and only if . Moreover, we show that the following asymptotic relation holds . Also we prove that lim_r→1(1-r²)^α‖Rf_r‖_p=0 if and only if . These results confirm two conjectures from the following recent paper [S. Stevi?, On Bloch-type functions with Hadamard gaps, Abstr. Appl. Anal. 2007 (2007) 8 pages (Article ID 39176)].     

The inclusion relation between Sobolev and modulation spaces

The inclusion relations between the Lp-Sobolev spaces and the modulation spaces is determined explicitly. As an application, mapping properties of unimodular Fourier multiplier eiα|D| between Lp-Sobolev spaces and modulation spaces are discussed.