A combinatorial characterization of normalizations of Boolean algebras

In this paper we prove that if a groupoid has exactly distinct n-ary term operations for n=1, 2, 3 and the same number of constant unary term operations for n=0, then it is a normalization of a nontrivial Boolean algebra. This, together with some general facts concerning normalizations of algebras, which we recall, yields a clone characterization of normalizations of nontrivial Boolean algebras: A groupoid (G;·) is clone equivalent to a normalization of a nontrivial Boolean algebra if and only if the value of the free spectrum for (G;·) is for n = 0, 1, 2, 3. In the last section the Minimal Extension Property for the sequence (2, 3) in the class of all groupoids is derived. Received September 15, 2004; accepted in final form October 4, 2005.     

Single machine group scheduling with ordered criteria

The single machine group scheduling problem is considered. Jobs are classified into several groups on the basis of group technology, i.e. jobs of the same group have to be processed jointly. A machine set-up time independent of the group sequence is needed between each two consecutive groups. A schedule specifies the sequence of groups and the sequence of jobs in each group. The quality of a schedule is measured by the criteriaF ₁, ...,F _m ordered by their relative importance. The objective is to minimize the least important criterionF _m subject to the schedule being optimal with respect to the more important criterionF _m–1 which is minimized on the set of schedules minimizing criterionF _m–2 and so on. The most important criterion isF ₁, which is minimized on the set of all feasible schedules. An approach to solve this multicriterion problem in polynomial time is presented if functionsF ₁, ...,F _m have special properties. The total weighted completion time and the total weighted exponential time are the examples of functionsF ₁, ...,F _m–1 and the maximum cost is an example of functionF _m for which our approach can be applied.The research of the authors was partially supported by a KBN Grant No. 3 P 406 003 05, the Fundamental Research Fund of Belarus, Project N 60-242, and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Project Schema, respectively. The paper was completed while the first author was visiting the University of Melbourne.     

2pi ambiguity-free optical distance measurement with subnanometer precision with a novel phase-crossing low-coherence interferometer

We report a highly accurate phase-based technique for measuring arbitrarily long optical distance with subnanometer precision. The method employs a Michelson interferometer with a pair of harmonically related light sources, one cw and the other low coherence. By slightly detuning (~2 nm) the center wavelength of the low-coherence source between scans of the target sample, we can use the phase relationship between the heterodyne signals of the cw and the low-coherence light to measure the separation between reflecting interfaces with subnanometer precision. As this technique is completely free of 2pi ambiguity, an issue that plagues most phase-based techniques, it can be used to measure arbitrarily long optical distances without loss of precision. We demonstrate one application of this technique, the high-precision determination of the differential refractive index.     

Two-dimensional high-resolution NMR spectra in matched B(0) and B(1) field gradients

In a recent publication we presented a method to obtain highly resolved NMR spectra in the presence of an inhomogeneous B(0) field with the help of a matched RF gradient. If RF gradient pulses are combined with "ideal" 90 degrees pulses to form inhomogeneous z rotation pulses, the line broadening caused by the B(0) gradient can be refocused, while the full chemical shift information is maintained. This approach is of potential use for NMR spectroscopy in an inhomogeneous magnetic field produced by an "ex-situ" surface spectrometer. In this contribution, we extend this method toward two-dimensional spectroscopy with high resolution in one or both dimensions. Line narrowing in the indirect dimension can be achieved by two types of nutation echoes, thus leading to depth-sensitive NMR spectra with full chemical shift information. If the nutation echo in the indirect dimension is combined with a stroboscopic acquisition using inhomogeneous z-rotation pulses, highly resolved two-dimensional correlation spectra can be obtained in matched field gradients. Finally, we demonstrate that an INEPT coherence transfer from proton to carbon spins is possible in inhomogeneous B(0) fields. Thus, it is possible to obtain one-dimensional (13)C NMR spectra with increased sensitivity and two-dimensional HETCOR spectra in the presence of B(0) gradients of 0.4 mT/cm. These schemes may be of some value for ex-situ NMR analysis of materials and biological systems.     

Improved measurement of Vub with inclusive semileptonic B decays

We report a new measurement of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa parameter Vub made with a sample of 9.7 x 10(6) BB- events collected with the CLEO II detector. Using heavy quark theory, we combine the observed yield of leptons from semileptonic B decay in the end-point momentum interval 2.2-2.6 GeV/c with recent CLEO II data on B-->X(s)gamma to find Vub = (4.08+/-0.34+/-0.44+/-0.16+/-0.24)x10(-3), where the first two uncertainties are experimental and the last two are from theory.     

Algebraic Properties of the Path Ideal of a Tree

The path ideal (of length t ≥ 2) of a directed graph Γ is the monomial ideal, denoted I _t (Γ), whose generators correspond to the directed paths of length t in Γ. We study some of the algebraic properties of I _t (Γ) when Γ is a tree. We first show that I _t (Γ) is the facet ideal of a simplicial tree. As a consequence, the quotient ring R/I _t (Γ) is always sequentially Cohen–Macaulay, and the Betti numbers of R/I _t (Γ) do not depend upon the characteristic of the field. We study the case of the line graph in greater detail at the end of the article. We give an exact formula for the projective dimension of these ideals, and in some cases, we compute their arithmetical rank.     

Fitted Galerkin spectral method to solve delay partial differential equations

In this paper, we consider a class of parabolic partial differential equations with a time delay. The first model equation is the mixed problems for scalar generalized diffusion equation with a delay, whereas the second model equation is a delayed reaction‐diffusion equation. Both of these models have inherent complex nature because of which their analytical solutions are hardly obtainable, and therefore, one has to seek numerical treatments for their approximate solutions. To this end, we develop a fitted Galerkin spectral method for solving this problem. We derive optimal error estimates based on weak formulations for the fully discrete problems. Some numerical experiments are also provided at the end. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Primal separation algorithms

Given an integer polyhedron , an integer point , and a point , the primal separation problem is the problem of finding a linear inequality which is valid for P _I , violated by x ^*, and satisfied at equality by . The primal separation problem plays a key role in the primal approach to integer programming. In this paper we examine the complexity of primal separation for several well-known classes of inequalities for various important combinatorial optimization problems, including the knapsack, stable set and travelling salesman problems.Received: November 2002, Revised: March 2003,     

Primal cutting plane algorithms revisited

Dual fractional cutting plane algorithms, in which cutting planes are used to iteratively tighten a linear relaxation of an integer program, are well-known and form the basis of the highly successful branch-and-cut method. It is rather less well-known that various primal cutting plane algorithms were developed in the 1960s, for example by Young. In a primal algorithm, the main role of the cutting planes is to enable a feasible solution to the original problem to be improved. Research on these algorithms has been almost non-existent.  In this paper we argue for a re-examination of these primal methods. We describe a new primal algorithm for pure 0-1 problems based on strong valid inequalities and give some encouraging computational results. Possible extensions to the case of general mixed-integer programs are also discussed.     

Bounding the distance among longest paths in a connected graph

It is easy to see that in a connected graph any $2$ longest paths have a vertex in common. For $k\ge 7$, Skupień in 1966 obtained a connected graph in which some $k$ longest paths have no common vertex, but every $k?1$ longest paths have a common vertex. It is not known whether every $3$ longest paths in a connected graph have a common vertex and similarly for 4, 5, and $6$ longest path. Fujita et al. in 2015 give an upper bound on distance among $3$ longest paths in a connected graph. In this paper we give a similar upper bound on distance between $4$ longest paths and also for $k$ longest paths, in general.