A variable neighbourhood search algorithm for the open vehicle routing problem

In the open vehicle routing problem (OVRP), the objective is to minimise the number of vehicles and then minimise the total distance (or time) travelled. Each route starts at the depot and ends at a customer, visiting a number of customers, each once, en route, without returning to the depot. The demand of each customer must be completely fulfilled by a single vehicle. The total demand serviced by each vehicle must not exceed vehicle capacity. Additionally, in one variant of the problem, the travel time of each vehicle should not exceed an upper limit.     

The minimal displacement problem in the space l ∞

We give a lower bound for the minimal displacement characteristic in the space l ^∞.     

On Reciprocal Equivalence of Stäckel Systems

In this paper we investigate Stäckel transforms between different classes of parameter‐dependent Stäckel separable systems of the same dimension. We show that the set of all Stäckel systems of the same dimension splits to equivalence classes so that all members within the same class can be connected by a single Stäckel transform. We also give an explicit formula relating solutions of two Stäckel‐related systems. These results show in particular that any two geodesic Stäckel systems are Stäckel equivalent in the sense that it is possible to transform one into another by a single Stäckel transform. We also simplify proofs of some known statements about multiparameter Stäckel transform.     

Super-Brownian motion with reflecting historical paths. II. Convergence of approximations

We prove that the sequence of finite reflecting branching Brownian motion forests defined by Burdzy and Le Gall ([1]) converges in probability to the “super-Brownian motion with reflecting historical paths.” This solves an open problem posed in [1], where only tightness was proved for the sequence of approximations. Several results on path behavior were proved in [1] for all subsequential limits–they obviously hold for the unique limit found in the present paper.Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): Primary 60H15, Secondary 35R60Supported in part by NSF Grant DMS-0071486, Israel Science Foundation Grants 12/98 and 116/01 - 10.0, and the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (grant No. 2000065).     

On sums of Darboux and nowhere constant continuous functions

We show that the property

(P)

for every Darboux function there exists a continuous nowhere constant function such that is Darboux

follows from the following two propositions:

(A)

for every subset of of cardinality there exists a uniformly continuous function such that ,

(B)

for an arbitrary function whose image contains a non-trivial interval there exists an of cardinality such that the restriction of to is uniformly continuous,

which hold in the iterated perfect set model.

     

Trajectories joining critical points of nonlinear parabolic and hyperbolic partial differential equations

Consider the following nonlinear Dirichlet boundary value problems:

$\text{D}{}_{\mathrm{t}}\text{u(t,x)=Lu(t,x)+f(u(t,x)),}\text{t?0,x∈Ω}\text{u(t,x)=0,}\text{t?0,x∈?Ω}$

(1.1)

$\text{D}{}_{\mathrm{t}}\text{D}{}_{\mathrm{t}}\text{u(t,x)=Lu(t,x)+}\text{α}\text{L(D}{}_{\mathrm{t}}\text{u(t,x))+f(u(t,x)),}\text{α}\text{>0,t?0,x∈Ω}\text{u(t,x)=0,}\text{t?0,x∈?Ω}$

(1.2)

$\text{Lu(x)+f(u(x)),}\text{x∈Ω}\text{u(x)=0,}\text{x∈?Ω}$

. (1.3) In all of these equations, f: R → R is a locally Lipschitzian asymptotically linear function with positive asymptotic slope, f(0) = 0, and L is a self-adjoint, negativedefinite and strongly elliptic second-order differential operator on a smooth domain Ω in Rⁿ. The solutions of (1.1) and (1.2) generate semiflows which are not pointdissipative and whose equilibria are determined by solutions of (1.3). In this paper, using an extension (due to the present author) of Conley's Morse index theory to noncompact spaces, we prove not only the existence of positive solutions of (1.3) (a result shown earlier by Peitgen and Schmitt using different methods), but also show the existence of (nonconstant) heteroclinic orbits of (1.1) and (1.2) joining two sets of equilibria.     

Polyboxes,Cube Tilings and Rigidity

A non-empty subset A of X=X ₁×???×X _d is a (proper) box if A=A ₁×???×A _d and A _i ?X _i for each i. Suppose that for each pair of boxes A, B and each i, one can only know which of the three states takes place: A _i =B _i , A _i =X _i ?B _i , A _i ?{B _i ,X _i ?B _i }. Let F and G be two systems of disjoint boxes. Can one decide whether ∪F=∪G? In general, the answer is ‘no’, but as is shown in the paper, it is ‘yes’ if both systems consist of pairwise dichotomous boxes. (Boxes A, B are dichotomous if there is i such that A _i =X _i ?B _i .) Several criteria that enable to compare such systems are collected. The paper includes also rigidity results, which say what assumptions have to be imposed on F to ensure that ∪F=∪G implies F=G. As an application, the rigidity conjecture for 2-extremal cube tilings of Lagarias and Shor is verified.     

On odd points and the volume of lattice polyhedra

Denote by _n ³ ,n 2, the lattice consisting of all pointsx in ³ such thatnx belongs to the fundamental lattice ³ of points with integer coordinates. Letl _n be the subset of _n ³ consisting of all points whose coordinates are odd multiples of 1/n. The purpose of this paper is to give several new Pick-type formulae for the volume of three-dimensional lattice polyhedra, that is, polyhedra with vertices in ³. Our formulae are in terms of numbers of only thel _n-points belonging to a lattice polyhedronP in contrast to already known formulae which employ numbers of all the _n ³ -points inP. On our way to establishing the formulae we show that the number of points froml _n belonging to a three-dimensional lattice polyhedronP has some polynomiality properties similar to those of the well-known Ehrhart polynomial expressing the number of points of _n ³ inP. The paper contains also some comments on a problem of finding a volume formula which would employ only the setsl _n and which would be applicable to lattice polyhedra in arbitrary dimensions.Research partially supported by KBN Grant 2 P03A 008 10.