Adaptive and multi-mining versions of the DM-GRASP hybrid metaheuristic

Metaheuristics represent an important class of techniques to solve, approximately, hard combinatorial optimization problems for which the use of exact methods is impractical. Some researches have been combining machine learning techniques with metaheuristics to adaptively guide and improve the search for near optimal solutions. An example of such development is the DM-GRASP, a hybrid version of the Greedy Randomized Adaptative Search Procedures (GRASP) metaheuristic which incorporates a data mining process. In this hybrid proposal, after executing half of the total number of iterations, the data mining process extracts patterns from an elite set of sub-optimal solutions for the optimization problem. These patterns present characteristics of near optimal solutions and can be used to guide the following half GRASP iterations in the search through the solution space. In this work, we explore new versions of the DM-GRASP metaheuristic to experiment, not a single activation, but multiple and adaptive executions of the data mining process during the metaheuristic execution. We also applied the data mining technique into a reactive GRASP to show that a more sophisticated and not memoryless GRASP approach can also benefit from the use of this technique. In order to evaluate these new proposals, we adopted the server replication for reliable multicast problem since the best known results for this problem were obtained by GRASP and DM-GRASP implementations. The computational experiments, comparing traditional GRASP, DM-GRASP, and the new proposals, showed that multiple and adaptive executions of the data mining process can improve the results obtained by the DM-GRASP hybrid metaheuristic—the new proposals were able to find better results in less computational time for the reliable multicast problem.     

Forbidden Configurations and Product Constructions

A simple matrix is a (0,1)-matrix with no repeated columns. For a (0,1)-matrix F, we say that a (0,1)-matrix A has F as a configuration if there is a submatrix of A which is a row and column permutation of F (trace is the set system version of a configuration). Let \({\|A\|}\) denote the number of columns of A. We define \({{\rm forb}(m, F) = {\rm max}\{\|A\| \,:\, A}\) is m-rowed simple matrix and has no configuration F. We extend this to a family \({\mathcal{F} = \{F_1, F_2, \ldots , F_t\}}\) and define \({{\rm forb}(m, \mathcal{F}) = {\rm max}\{\|A\| \,:\, A}\) is m-rowed simple matrix and has no configuration \({F \in \mathcal{F}\}}\) . We consider products of matrices. Given an m ₁ × n ₁ matrix A and an m ₂ × n ₂ matrix B, we define the product A × B as the (m ₁ + m ₂) × n ₁ n ₂ matrix whose columns consist of all possible combinations obtained from placing a column of A on top of a column of B. Let I _k denote the k × k identity matrix, let \({I_k^{c}}\) denote the (0,1)-complement of I _k and let T _k denote the k × k upper triangular (0,1)-matrix with a 1 in position i, j if and only if i ≤ j. We show forb(m, {I ₂ × I ₂, T ₂ × T ₂}) is \({\Theta(m^{3/2})}\) while obtaining a linear bound when forbidding all 2-fold products of all 2 × 2 (0,1)-simple matrices. For two matrices F, P, where P is m-rowed, let \({f(F, P) = {\rm max}_{A} \{\|A\| \,:\,A}\) is m-rowed submatrix of P with no configuration F}. We establish f(I ₂ × I ₂, I _m/2 × I _m/2) is \({\Theta(m^{3/2})}\) whereas f(I ₂ × T ₂, I _m/2 × T _m/2) and f(T ₂ × T ₂, T _m/2 × T _m/2) are both \({\Theta(m)}\) . Additional results are obtained. One of the results requires extensive use of a computer program. We use the results on patterns due to Marcus and Tardos and generalizations due to Klazar and Marcus, Balogh, Bollobás and Morris.     

Coarse equivalences of Euclidean buildings

We prove the following rigidity results. Coarse equivalences between metrically complete Euclidean buildings preserve spherical buildings at infinity. If all irreducible factors have dimension at least two, then coarsely equivalent Euclidean buildings are isometric (up to scaling factors); if in addition none of the irreducible factors is a Euclidean cone, then the isometry is unique and has finite distance from the coarse equivalence.     

A combinatorial decomposition of acyclic simplicial complexes

It is proved that if Δ is a finite acyclic simplicial complex, then there is a subcomplex Δ′ Δ and a bijection η: Δ′ → Δ − Δ′ such that F η(F) and |η(F)−F|=1 for all F Δ′. This improves an earlier result of Kalai. An immediate corollary is a characterization (first due to Kalai) of the f-vector of an acyclic simplicial complex. Several generalizations, some proved and some conjectured, are discussed.     

A bump triangular dynamic factorization algorithm for the simplex method

A dynamic factorization algorithm is developed which algebraically partitions the basis inverse in such a manner so that the simplex method can be executed from a series of small inverses and the basis itself. This partition is maintained dynamically so that the additional memory required to represent the basis inverse reduces to this series of small inverses for in-core implementations.The algorithm is intended for use in solving general large-scale linear programming problems. This new method of basis representation should permit rather large problems to be solved completely in-core.Preliminary computational experience is presented and comparisons are made with Reid's sparsity-exploiting variant of the Bartels—Golub decomposition for linear programming bases. The computational experience indicated that a significant reduction in memory requirements can usually be obtained using the dynamic factorization approach with only a slight (up to about 20%) degradation of execution time.This research was supported in part by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Air Force System Command, USAF, under AFOSR Contract/Grant Number AFOSR-74-2715.     

Compactifications,realcompletions and spectral structures

Summary We give an intrinsic (set theoretical) method to obtain all realcompletions of a Tychonoff space X. It is based on the concept of a spectral structure. Every realcompletion of the space can be obtained as a space of terminal clusters relative to an appropriate spectral structure on X. Various applications of this concept are then given. For example we may characterize those spectral structures which yield the realcompletions between X and X, or which yield spaces that are realcomplete (that is, realcompact), or compact or pseudocompact or Lindelöf. We also determine the class K of compactifications K of X for which X will be real closed in K for every K K.Here we continue the use of the word realcompletion (see [2]) in place of real-compactification. As many investigations have shown and as the present article reinforces, the former is more appropriate than the latter.     

Studies on the determination of multiple numbers of experimental parameters 1. Preliminary study

Expressions are given for analytical extraction of parameters for polynomial and single relaxation experiments, and an indication is given of the application of the technique to multiple relaxation experiments. Examples are given for the cases of single and double relaxations. Hypothetical reference is made to time domain reflectometry.     

Minkowski iteration of sets

The Minkowski addition, ⊕, is a natural generalization of vector addition. However, ⊕ and scalar multiplication do not follow all the usual laws of vector space operations. This is reflected upon the properties of a new operation, °, which maps vector sets into vector sets. The study of a linear iterative process (with ° acting recurrently on vector sets) brings out the outstanding value of vector balls and convex hulls for obtaining explicit solutions or bounds.     

On some results of M. I. Gordin: A clarification of a misunderstanding

M. I. Gordin proved a central limit theorem for some strictly stationary strongly mixing random sequences without the assumption of finite second moments. Because of a series of misunderstandings, his own correct formulation of the theorem has been essentially ignored, while an incorrect formulation has been discussed extensively and attributed to him in many references. This note explains in detail what has happened, in the hope of clearing up the misunderstandings.     

Replacement-Policy Development: A Case Study of Glove Replacement at a Nuclear Processing Facility

Individual/group replacement models were used to identify the minimum-cost policy for replacing protective gloves that are utilized in product fabrication at a nuclear processing facility. Since historical data on glove longevity were not available to determine the failure-rate distribution, the classical replacement model for items that fail was modified to consider glove life as a normally distributed variable. Moreover, the absence of replacement-cost required that the classical model be transformed to incorporate the ratio of single to unit-group replacement cost. Sensitivity analysis on these two input parameter values provided guidance for the development of an appropriate replacement policy.