Analysing the effect of technical change on individual outputs using modified quasi-Malmquist indexes

Malmquist indexes can be used to estimate technical change over time. The index generally represents the average effect of technical change on all outputs in a multi-output firm. However, changes in technology do not necessarily affect all outputs involved in the analysis equally. In this paper, a method for estimating the effect of technical change on each of the different outputs is proposed. This estimation is done by a modification of quasi-Malmquist indexes. An artificial data set has been used to validate the method proposed in this paper.     

A Characterisation of Posets that Are nearly Antichains

We present a characterisation of posets of size n with linear discrepancy n − 2. These are the posets that are “furthest” from a linear order without being an antichain. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Invariant ideals of twisted crossed products

We will prove a result concerning the inclusion of non-trivial invariant ideals inside non-trivial ideals of a twisted crossed product. We will also give results concerning the primeness and simplicity of crossed products of twisted actions of locally compact groups on -algebras. Received: 25 January 2002; in final form: 22 May 2002/Published online: 2 December 2002 This work is partially supported by Hong Kong RGC Direct Grant.     

Influence of the sample orientation in Sn<Subscript>2</Subscript>P<Subscript>2</Subscript>S<Subscript>6</Subscript> crystals on the hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficients

The influence of the sample orientation on the effective value of the hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficients d _h ⁽ⁱ⁾ of Sn₂P₂S₆ crystals has been studied. The hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficients d _h ⁽¹⁾ and d′ _h ⁽³⁾ , were measured, d _h ⁽¹⁾ =(244±3) pC/N and d′ _h ⁽³⁾ =(92±1) pC/N. The hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficient d _h ⁽³⁾ for orthogonal axis system was calculated to be d _h ⁽³⁾ =(87±2) pC/N. The, optimal orientation of the sample has been found as (Xy l)−20°-cut. Maximal value of the effective hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficient d _h ⁽¹⁾ equals 260 pC/N. Double rotated samples were also studied. The orientation of the samples insensitive to the pressure has been found. The theoretical mean value of hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficient (d _h ) _mean corresponding to randomly oriented Sn₂P₂S₆ grains in a poled composite has been calculated to be (d _h ) _mean =136 pC/N.     

Homology of Lagrangian submanifolds in cotangent bundles

In this paper we find homological restrictions on Lagrangians in cotangent bundles of spheres and Lens spaces. This research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation (grand No. 205/02).     

Multi-Item Scheduling by Benders' Decomposition

Scheduling the production of several items requires the determination of production quantities in different periods in the presence of resource constraints. Several approximate and heuristic algorithms have been proposed to solve this problem. However, no method for finding an optimal solution has as yet been developed. It is shown that the problem may be solved advantageously using Benders' decomposition. The subproblem in Benders' decomposition is shown to be a transportation problem, and some strategies for solving the master problem are indicated. The paper concludes with a sample problem demonstrating the application of the method.     

On the group extension of the transformation associated to non-archimedean continued fractions

Summary Let F_q be a finite field with q elements. We consider formal Laurent series of F_q -coefficients with their continued fraction expansions by F_q -polynomials. We prove some arithmetic properties for almost every formal Laurent series with respect to the Haar measure. We construct a group extension of the non-archimedean continued fraction transformation and show its ergodicity. Then we get some results as an application of the individual ergodic theorem. We also discuss the convergence rate for limit behaviors.     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROJECTIVE GEOMETRIC AND RATIONAL QUADRATIC B-SPLINE CURVES

For two rational quadratic B-spline curves with same control vertexes, the cross ratio of four eollinear points are represented; which are any one of the vertexes, and the two points that the ray initialing from the vertex intersects with the corresponding segments of the twocurves, and the point the ray intersecting with the connecting line between the two neighboring vertexes. Different from rational quadratic Beeier curves, the value is generally related with the loeation of the ray, and the necessary and sufficient condition o5 the ratio being independent of the ray‘s loeation is showed. Alsn another cross ratio o5 the following four collinear points are suggested, i.e. one vertex, the points that the ray from the initlal vertex intersects respectivdy with the curve segmentt the line connecting the segments end points, and the line connecting the two neighboring vertexes. This cross ratio is concerned only whh the ray‘s location, butnot with the weights of the curve. Furthermore, the cross ratio is projective invariant under the projective transformation between the two segments.