Recovering Beam Search: Enhancing the Beam Search Approach for Combinatorial Optimization Problems

A hybrid heuristic method for combinatorial optimization problems is proposed that combines different classical techniques such as tree search procedures, bounding schemes and local search. The proposed method enhances the classic beam search approach by applying to each partial solution corresponding to a node selected by the beam, a further test that checks whether the current partial solution is dominated by another partial solution at the same level of the search tree. If this is the case, the latter solution becomes the new current partial solution. This step allows to partially recover from previous wrong decisions of the beam search procedure and can be seen as a local search step on the partial solution. We present here the application to two well known combinatorial optimization problems: the two-machine total completion time flow shop scheduling problem and the uncapacitated p-median location problem. In both cases the method strongly improves the performances with respect to the basic beam search approach and is competitive with the state of the art heuristics.     

A Hybrid Improvement Heuristic for the One-Dimensional Bin Packing Problem

We propose in this work a hybrid improvement procedure for the bin packing problem. This heuristic has several features: the use of lower bounding strategies; the generation of initial solutions by reference to the dual min-max problem; the use of load redistribution based on dominance, differencing, and unbalancing; and the inclusion of an improvement process utilizing tabu search. Encouraging results have been obtained for a very wide range of benchmark instances, illustrating the robustness of the algorithm. The hybrid improvement procedure compares favourably with all other heuristics in the literature. It improved the best known solutions for many of the benchmark instances and found the largest number of optimal solutions with respect to the other available approximate algorithms.     

Marking Games and the Oriented Game Chromatic Number of Partial <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>-Trees

 Nešetřil and Sopena introduced the concept of oriented game chromatic number. They asked whether the oriented game chromatic number of partial k-trees was bounded. Here we answer their question positively. Received: January 12, 2001 Final version received: February 25, 2002     

Spectra Analysis of a Novel Ti-Doped LiAlO2 Single Crystal

LiAlO2 single crvstals doped with Ti at concentration 0.2at.% are grown by the Czochralskl technique with dimensions φ42×55mm. Ti ions in the crystal are quadrivalence proven by comparing the absorption and fluorescence spectra of pure LiAlO2 and Ti： LiAlO2. After air and Li-rich atmosphere annealing, the absorption peaks in the range of 600-800nm disappear. We conclude that 682 and 756nm absorption peaks are attributed to the VLi and Vo absorptions, respectively： The peaks at 716nm and 798nm may stem from the VLi^＋ and absorptions. The colour-centre model can be applied to explain the experimental phenomena. Ti^4＋-doping produces more lithium vacancies in the LiAlO2 crystal. The intensities of [LiO4] and the associated bonds remain unchanged, which improves the anti-hydrolyzation and thermal stability of LiAlO2 crystals.     

Reconstruction of the fine structure of an acoustic scatterer against the distorting influence of its large-scale inhomogeneities

In the ultrasonic diagnostics of small-size neoplasms of biological tissues at the earliest stage of their development, an efficient way to eliminate the distorting influence of high-contrast or large inhomogeneities of the biological medium is to apply the iterative technique. A simple approach is proposed, which makes it possible with only two iteration steps to achieve an efficient focusing of the tomograph array. At the first step, the unknown distribution of the large-scale inhomogeneities of sound velocity and absorption over the scatterer is reconstructed, where the large-scale inhomogeneities are those whose size exceeds several wavelengths. At the second step, the fine structure of the scatterer is reconstructed against the large-scale background, which can be performed with a high accuracy owing to the evaluation of the background at the first step. The possibility of simultaneous reconstruction of the large-scale and fine structures by the noniterative Grinevich-Novikov algorithm is considered as an alternative. This algorithm reconstructs in an explicit form two-dimensional refractive-absorbing acoustic scatterers of almost arbitrary shape and strength. Taking into account the effects of multiple scattering, this algorithm provides resolution of the fine structure almost as good as that achieved in reconstructing the same structure against an undistorting homogeneous background. The results of numerical simulations of both algorithms are presented.     

微模塑法制备PMMA/SiO2二氧化硅杂化材料微结构

以摩尔比为 1∶1的甲基丙烯酸甲酯 (MMA)、甲基丙烯酸 (3 三乙氧基硅烷基 )丙酯 (ESMA)单体、0 .2 %(单体总量的质量分数 )的偶氮二异丁腈AIBN引发剂和四氢呋喃 (THF)溶剂 ,及 2 0 % (总质量分数 )的正硅酸乙酯TEOS合成出PMMA/SiO2 有机 无机杂化的杂化溶胶 .将溶胶在洗净的普通光学玻璃基片表面甩膜 .利用软刻蚀中的微模塑法 ,把有机硅弹性印章复制有精细图纹一面轻放在杂化溶胶膜上进行微模塑 ,外加 1N压力于12 0℃下处理 2h使溶胶凝胶化 .印章剥离后在基片表面就形成了PMMA/SiO2 有机 无机杂化材料的微图纹结构 .从微图纹的光学显微镜照片可以看出微模塑方法制备杂化材料复制的图纹精细度高 ,操作简单易行 ,是一类比较理想的微细图纹结构加工的方法 .     

Gaussian Chaos Laws on Banach Function Spaces

We give a characterization of Gaussian chaos laws on Banach function spaces which do not contain ℓ _∞ ⁿ 's uniformly. The result is applied to describe the convergence in law of U-processes with sample paths in certain Banach function spaces. __________ Published in Lietuvos Matematikos Rinkinys, Vol. 45, No. 4, pp. 553–566, October–December, 2005.