An on-line scheduling problem of parallel machines with common maintenance time

In this paper, the authors consider an on-line scheduling problem of m (m ≥ 3) identical machines with common maintenance time interval and nonresumable availability. For the case that the length of maintenance time interval is larger than the largest processing time of jobs, the authors prove that any on-line algorithm has not a constant competitive ratio. For the case that the length of maintenance time interval is less than or equal to the largest processing time of jobs, the authors prove a lower bound of 3 on the competitive ratio. The authors give an on-line algorithm with competitive ratio $4 - \tfrac{1} {m} $ . In particular, for the case of m = 3, the authors prove the competitive ratio of the on-line algorithm is $\tfrac{{10}} {3} $ .     

Variational discretization for parabolic optimal control problems with control constraints

This paper studies variational discretization for the optimal control problem governed by parabolic equations with control constraints.First of all,the authors derive a priori error estimates where |||u-U₍h|||_L∞（J;L²（Ω））=O（h²+k）.It is much better than a priori error estimates of standard finite element and backward Euler method where |||μ-U_h|||₍L∞（J;L²（Ω））=O（h+ k）.Secondly,the authors obtain a posteriori error estimates of residual type.Finally,the authors present some numerical algorithms for the optimal control problem and do some numerical experiments to illustrate their theoretical results.     

CLT of wavelet estimator in semiparametric model with correlated errors

This paper considers the semiparametric regression model j/j= Xif3+g（U）+Vi（1 < i < n）, where（x_i,t_i） are known design points,/3 is an unknown slope parameter,g（·） is an unknown function, the correlated errors Vi=∑_j=-∞^∞c_je_i-jwith∑_j=-∞^∞|c_j|<∞,and e_i negatively associated random variables.Under appropriate conditions,the authors study the asymptotic normality for wavelet estimators ofβand g（·）.A simulation study is undertaken to investigate finite sample behavior of the estimators.     

Further study strong consistency of M estimator in linear model for \tilde \rho-mixing random samples

The strong consistency of M estimators of the regression parameters in linear models for $\tilde \rho$ -mixing random errors under some mild conditions is established, which is an essential improvement over the relevant results in the literature on the moment conditions and mixing errors. Especially, Theorem of Wu (2005) is improved essentially on the moment conditions.     

On-Line Scheduling on Parallel Machines to Minimize the Makespan

This paper considers two parallel machine scheduling problems,where the objectives of both problems are to minimize the makespan,and the jobs arrive over time,on two uniform machines with speeds 1 and s(s≥1),and on m identical machines,respectively.For the first problem,the authors show that the on-line LPT algorithm has a competitive ratio of(1 +5~(1/2))/2≈1.6180 and the bound is tight.Furthermore,the authors prove that the on-line LPT algorithm has the best possible competitive ratio if s≥1.8020.For the second problem,the authors present a lower bound of(15-(17)~(1/2))/8≈1.3596 on the competitive ratio of any deterministic on-line algorithm.This improves a previous result of 1.3473.     

On algebraic immunity of trace inverse functions on finite fields of characteristic two

The trace inverse functions Tr(λx~(-1)) over the finite field F_(2~n) are a class of very important Boolean functions and are used in many stream ciphers such as SFINKS,RAKAPOSHI,the simple counter stream cipher(SCSC) presented by Si W and Ding C(2012),etc.In order to evaluate the security of those ciphers in resistance to(fast) algebraic attacks,the authors need to characterize algebraic properties of Tr(λx~(-1)).However,currently only some bounds on algebraic immunity of Tr(λx~(-1)) are given in the public literature,for example,the NGG upper bound and the Bayev lower bound,etc.This paper gives the exact value of the algebraic immunity of Tr(λx~(-1)) over F_(2~n),that is,AI(Tr(λx~(-1))) =[2n~(1/2)]- 2,where n ≥ 2,A ∈ F_(2~n) and λ≠ 0,which shows that Dalai's conjecture on the algebraic immunity of Tr(λx~(-1)) is correct.What is more,the authors demonstrate some weak properties of Tr(λx~(-1)) against fast algebraic attacks.     

NNMDS codes

C is an[n,k,d]_q linear code over F₉.And s（C）=n+1-k-d is the Singleton defect of C.An MDS code C with s（C）=0 has been studied extensively.Recently,a near-MDS code C with s（C）=s（C^⊥）=1 is studied by many scholars,where C^⊥denotes the dual code of C.This paper concentrates on the linear code C with s（C）=s（C^⊥）=2,and the author calls it an NNMDS code.A series of iff conditions of NNMDS codes are presented.And the author gives an upper bound on length of NNMDS codes.In the last,some examples of NNMDS are given.     

On LCD Negacyclic Codes over Finite Fields

This paper deduces the structure of LCD negacyclic codes over the finite field Fq, where q is an odd prime power. Based on the study of q-cyclotomic cosets modulo 2 n, the authors obtain the parameters of LCD negacyclic codes of lengths n =(q+1)/2,(q~m-1)/2(q-1)and q~(t·2~τ)-1/2(q~t +1), respectively. And many optimal codes are given. Moreover, the authors research two special classes of MDS LCD negacyclic codes of length n |(q-1)/2 and n |(q+1)2, respectively.     

A New Algorithm for Computing the Extended Hensel Construction of Multivariate Polynomials

This paper presents a new algorithm for computing the extended Hensel construction(EHC) of multivariate polynomials in main variable x and sub-variables u_1, u_2, ···, u_m over a number field K. This algorithm first constructs a set by using the resultant of two initial coprime factors w.r.t. x, and then obtains the Hensel factors by comparing the coefficients of x~i on both sides of an equation. Since the Hensel factors are polynomials of the main variable with coefficients in fraction field K(u_1, u_2, ···, u_m), the computation cost of handling rational functions can be high. Therefore,the authors use a method which multiplies resultant and removes the denominators of the rational functions. Unlike previously-developed algorithms that use interpolation functions or Gr?bner basis, the algorithm relies little on polynomial division, and avoids multiplying by different factors when removing the denominators of Hensel factors. All algorithms are implemented using Magma, a computational algebra system and experiments indicate that our algorithm is more efficient.     

Control and Stabilization of the Rosenau Equation Posed on a Periodic Domain

This paper considers the Rosenau equation with a moving control?t u + ?_t?_x~4 u + ?_xu + u?x u = a(x + ct)h(x, t), c = 0, x ∈ T = R/(2πZ), t 0.The authors prove that the Rosenau equation with a moving control is locally exact controllable in Hs(T) with s ≥ 0 and globally exponential stable in H~s(T) with s ≥ 2. The two results nontrivially extend the work of(Rosier L and Zhang B Y, 2013) from the BBM equation to the Rosenau equation.     

Non-Monomial Permutations with Differential Uniformity Six

In this paper, a family of non-monomial permutations over the finite field \({F_{{2^n}}}\) with differential uniformity at most 6 is proposed, where n is a positive integer. The algebraic degree of these functions is also determined.     

The Contribution of Innovation Strategy Development and Implementation in Active Facilitation of Pharmaceutical Front End Innovation

Front end innovation (FEI) represents the first building blocks of product development, but is often regarded as a weak link in innovation literature. Various theorists emphasize that a firm??s innovation can benefit substantially by improving the front end of innovation process (Reinertsen, Res Technol Manag 42:23?C31, 1999; Stevens and Burly, Res Technol Manag 46(2):16?C25, 2003; Verworn et al., R&D Manag 38(1):1?C19, 2008) and that innovation strategies play a central role in optimization of innovation (Clark and Wheelwright, Leading product development, Free Press, New York, 1995; Cottam et al., Eur J Innov Manag 4:88?C94, 2001; Morgan and Berthon, J Manag Stud 45(8):1329?C1353, 2008). Innovation strategies are suggested in literature (e.g. Page, J Prod Innov Manag 10:273?C287, 1993; Oke, J Change Manag 2(3):272?C281, 2002; Adams et al., Int J Manag Rev 8(1):21?C47, 2006; Igartua et al., Res Technol Manag May?CJune:41?C52, 2010) as a facilitator of innovation and may therefore also be targeted at FEI support. The pharmaceutical industry has experienced a worldwide decline in the number of applications for new molecular entities to regulatory agencies since 1997. Therefore high pressures are put on pharmaceutical research and FEI to produce more valid candidates and faster for drug development. This paper explores how pharmaceutical FEI can be actively supported through the development and implementation of an innovation strategy. The empirical field and applied methodology is an action oriented longitudinal case study of a Danish pharmaceutical company. The findings and key learnings from the study are presented as propositions of how innovation strategies can be applied to actively facilitate FEI and with measurable results.     

A MacWilliams type identity on Lee weight for linear codes over \mathbb{F}_2 + u\mathbb{F}_2^*

In this paper,the MacWilliams type identity for the m-ply Lee weight enumerator for linear codes over F₂ + uF₂ is determined.As an application of this identity,the authors obtain a MacWilliams type identity on Lee weight for linear codes over F_2^m+ uF_2^m.Furthermore,the authors prove a duality for the m-ply Lee weight distributions by taking advantage of the Krawtchouk polynomials.     

Systems Thinking and Higher Education: The Vanguard Method

Reforms to the higher education sector in the UK are only increasing competitive pressures between institutions. Universities are therefore looking to gain competitive advantage over their rivals both in terms of student experience and through administrative efficiency. This paper will present an alternative view of how to transform the way that the higher education system delivers service to students in an environment where ‘student choice’ will be viewed as of paramount importance. The paper will argue that the prevailing ‘command and control’ (Seddon 2003) management logic, which can be found at work throughout both the public and private sectors, is the primary cause of inferior, expensive service. As an alternative, this paper will explore the benefits of working in a systems thinking way, whilst comparing and contrasting this with the flawed thinking which currently prevails. The Vanguard Method (Seddon 2008) is one particular form of systems thinking which has been developed for use in service organisations (Jackson et al. 2008) and which has been applied to many public sector organisations (ODPM 2005; Middleton 2010; Zokaei et al. 2010). Using a case study methodology (Yin 2009), this paper will address what has been learnt by applying the Vanguard Method in an HEI environment for the first time.     

Collaborative Regional Innovation Initiatives: A Booster for Local Company Innovation Processes?

It is widely acknowledged that the rate of innovations can be enhanced through interaction between new constellations of actors, crossing borderlines between different mindsets, knowledge and skill bases (e.g. Brown and Duguid, Org Sci 2(1):40–57, 1991; Cooke and Morgan, The associational economy: firms, regions, and innovation, 1998; Leonard-Barton, Wellsprings of knowledge: building and sustaining the sources of innovation, 1995, p. 64; Stamm, Managing innovation, design and creativity, 2008, p. 335). Studies of economic prosperity have also pointed to cooperation and competition between neighboring actors as a driver for competitiveness and innovativeness, be it for a company, a business area or a region (e.g. Piore and Sabel, The second industrial divide: possibilities for prosperity, 1984; Porter, The competitive advantage of nations, 1990). The hypothesis behind the geographical focus is that geographical proximity between actors promotes interaction and hence innovation. In EU, and also in Norway, this has been used actively as guidance in national and regional policy, where construction of innovation systems such as clusters and interorganizational networks are promoted and funded. To get organizations and institutions in a region to collaborate more is seen as the panacea for innovation, transformation and prosperity. However, companies often treat such constructed initiatives as an add-on to their ordinary, often long-lasting, business relationships between customers and suppliers (Håkansson et al., Business in networks, 2009, p. 13). This could imply that the necessary anchoring of such new innovation system initiatives with the companies’ own innovation processes is weak or missing. The terminology system points to the importance of the different elements (actors) in the system, their interrelatedness and their impact on each other (Meadows, Thinking in systems. A primer, 2009). An innovation system, like a network, cannot deliver innovation if the elements (i.e. the companies) of the systems don’t respond with related actions to the common endeavor. However, the different actors’ intraorganizational innovation processes are hardly mentioned in the innovation systems theories, thus lacking the important system feedback link between the intraorganizational innovation processes within the single company and the interorganizational innovation processes which are taking place in the collaborative initiative. In this article it is argued, supported by a case story, that attention to both of these processes and the nexus between them is needed in order to construct sustainable interorganizational innovation system initiatives. A model for this is proposed, based on a dual organization development process, encouraging system feedback loops and thereby bridging the single participating organization and the interorganizational collaborative initiative.     

Pragmatic pluralism—An explication

The focus with which the paper is concerned is the process or task of intervention and, more specifically, the exploration of three (overlapping and interacting) questions pertinent to those who would intervene:

What is to be done?

How shall we decide what to do?

What can guide our actions?

In terms of what we will describe as pragmatic pluralism (our response to these questions), we intend this to be read in several different ways and on several different levels. Illustrating the discussion with examples from a number of different case studies, we will talk about pluralism in each of the following features:

in the use of specific methods/techniques

in the role(s) of the interventionists

in the modes of representation employed

in the use of different rationalities

in the ‘nature’ of the client

     

Editorial: Constructing Citizenship and Transnational Identity

The landscape of democracy and governance spans local and national boundaries. People are enmeshed in multiple contexts (Held et al. 1999; Held 2004; Held et al. 2005) and their associations (past and current) shape their identity. Some of the contributors to the journal have dual citizenship; they live and work in different places with family spanning continents. Some have experienced being non citizens in their place of birth or citizens without rights. The most vulnerable include the outsiders (immigrants and refugees, for example).     

Construction of one-gray weight codes and two-Gray weight codes over ℤ<Subscript>4</Subscript> + <Emphasis Type="Italic">u</Emphasis>ℤ<Subscript>4</Subscript>

This paper firstly gives some necessary conditions on one-Gray weight linear codes. And then we use these results to construct several classes of one-Gray weight linear codes over ?₄+u?₄(u ² = u) with type \({16^{{k_1}}}{8^{{k_2}}}{8^{{k_3}}}{4^{{k_4}}}{4^{{k_5}}}{4^{{k_6}}}{2^{{k_7}}}{2^{{k_8}}}\) based on a distance-preserving Gray map from (?₄ + u?₄) ⁿ to ? ₄ ²ⁿ . Secondly, the authors use the similar approach to do works on two-Gray (projective) weight linear codes. Finally, some examples are given to illustrate the construction methods.     

A FRAMEWORK OF SETTING UP GOAL CONTROL LIMITS OF TARGET COSTING FOR NON-NORMAL DISTRIBUTIONS

This study provides a framework of target costing to extend its original scope when the underlying distribution is non-normal. The new specification limits can be derived by listening to the market price from Taguchi loss function. Later, the new specification limits can be linked through the non-normality-based C^^pk value along with non-normality-based X^^-Rcontrol charts to derive goal control limits. Moreover, an example is provided to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed framework of target costing by relentlessly reducing cost and improving product quality to gain competitiveness in the marketplace.     

Construction of Social Development Index as a Theoretical Research Practice in Action Research by Using Soft Systems Methodology

This paper provides an illustration of the application of Soft Systems Methodology to construct social development index, based on a sociological concept of development proposed by Wirutomo et al. (Pengembangan Indeks Pembangunan Sosial (IPS) Bagi Sektor Informal di Perkotaan: Menuju Kebijakan Inklusif bagi Usaha Kecil, 2011). An action research (AR) is conducted in the field of street vendor promotion program perceived to be representing the social development practice. While the improvement of fundamental elements of societal life, i.e., social structure, culture, and social process can be identified in the field of street vendor promotion program, it is believed that the same development aspects can be explored at many other development sectors. A preliminary social development index is conctructed by using a single sector development program. It is expected that through a further research agenda, a comprehensive social development profile equipped with its related index can be presented. The findings of this SSM-based AR can be considered ??as primary ??thesis?? derived from ??messes?? or ??surprising facts?? of a real world problematic situation?? as described by Stephens et al. (Syst Pract Action Res 22:463?C474, 2009). As an AR practice, this research is a research interest, instead of a problem solving interest in AR (McKay and Marshall, Inf Technol People 14:46?C59, 2001); it is also a theoretical research practice, instead of a business change practice/empirical research practice and regular business practice (Cronholm and Goldkuhl, The 2nd European Conference on Research Methods in Business and Management (ECRM 2003), 2003), and it is an interpretative actions and theory development actions as mentioned by Cronholm and Goldkuhl (The 2nd European Conference on Research Methods in Business and Management (ECRM 2003), 2003). This paper also provides an illustration of a variant relationship between P and A as introduced by McKay and Marshall (Inf Technol People 14:46?C59, 2001), which is ??there are some elements of P that overlap with some elements of A??.