Boundary Element Methods for Maxwell Transmission Problems in Lipschitz Domains

Summary. We consider the Maxwell equations in a domain with Lipschitz boundary and the boundary integral operator A occuring in the Calderón projector. We prove an inf-sup condition for A using a Hodge decomposition. We apply this to two types of boundary value problems: the exterior scattering problem by a perfectly conducting body, and the dielectric problem with two different materials in the interior and exterior domain. In both cases we obtain an equivalent boundary equation which has a unique solution. We then consider Galerkin discretizations with Raviart-Thomas spaces. We show that these spaces have discrete Hodge decompositions which are in some sense close to the continuous Hodge decomposition. This property allows us to prove quasioptimal convergence of the resulting boundary element methods. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000):65N30     

Lower Bounds for the Height and Size of the Ideal Class Group in CM-Fields

 We prove that, under the assumption of the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis, the exponent of the ideal class group of a CM-field goes to infinity with its absolute discriminant. This gives a positive answer to a question raised by Louboutin and Okazaki [4]. Received September 10, 2001; in revised form April 5, 2002     

OSCILLATORY SINGULAR INTEGRALS WITH VARIABLE ROUGH KERNEL,Ⅱ

Let n≥2. In this paper, the author establishes the L^2 (R^n)-boundedness of some oscillatory singular integrals with variable rough kernels by means of some estimates on hypergeometric functions and congqucnt hypergeometric funtions.     

Machine assignment in a nonlinear multi-product flowline

A group of machines for processing a set of jobs in a manufacturing system is often located in a serial line. An efficient strategy for locating these machines such that the total travel distance or the cost of transporting the jobs is minimized is desired. In this research, the assumption of a linear line with equally spaced machine location is relaxed. This research addressed problems of locating unique machines. It is found that the machine distances possess unique properties in this type of a problem. Utilizing these properties, heuristic strategies are proposed to obtain efficient solution where optimal methods are expected to be computationally prohibitive. A lower bound for the optimum solution is also proposed. Results are encouraging.     

Tuning inventory policy parameters in a small chemical company

A project to improve inventory management in a small UK chemical company is described. A research group comprising university academics and company managers for logistics and information technology examined current practices and analysed a database of historical records of business operations of the company. Based on the analysis, a scheme to categorise stock and set ordering policies to optimise inventory costs was developed. Some comments are made on process issues and the learning that took place.     

Synchronization in supply chains: implications for design and management

Supply chain management literature calls for coordination between the different members of the chain. Materials should be moved from one supplier to the next according to a just-in-time schedule. In this paper, we show that for many supply chain configurations, complete synchronization will result in some members of the chain being ‘losers’ in terms of cost. We develop an algorithm for optimal synchronization of supply chains and provide some guidelines for incentive alignment along the supply chain. In developing the model, we use the economic delivery and scheduling problem model and analyze supply chains dealing with single and multiple components. For single-component supply chains, we derive a closed-form expression for the optimal synchronized cycle time. For multi-component supply chains, we develop an algorithm for finding the optimal synchronized cycle time. We test the performance of the algorithm and show that it provides optimal solutions for a wide range of problems. We illustrate the models with numerical examples.     

Interactive Compromise Programming

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a solution method for multiple objective linear programming (MOLP) problems. The method, called interactive compromise programming (ICP), offers a practical solution to MOLP problems by combining judgement with an automatic optimization technique in decision-making. This is realised by using the method of compromise programming and the method of a two-person zero-sum game in an iterative way. The method is illustrated by a numerical example.     

Statistical Mechanics of a Simplified Bipartite Matching Problem: An Analytical Treatment

We perform an analytical study of a simplified bipartite matching problem in which there exists a constant matching energy, and both heterosexual and homosexual pairings are allowed. We obtain the partition function in a closed analytical form and we calculate the corresponding thermodynamic functions of this model. We conclude that the model is favored at high temperatures, for which the probabilities of heterosexual and homosexual pairs tend to become equal. In the limits of low and high temperatures, the system is extensive, however this property is lost in the general case. There exists a relation between the matching energies for which the system becomes more stable under external (thermal) perturbations. As the difference of energies between the two possible matches increases the system becomes more ordered, while the maximum of entropy is achieved when these energies are equal. In this limit, there is a first order phase transition between two phases with constant entropy.