A Recombination-Based Tabu Search Algorithm for the Winner Determination Problem

Abstract. We propose a dedicated tabu search algorithm (TSX_WDP) for the winner determination problem (WDP) in combinatorial auctions. TSX_WDP integrates two complementary neighborhoods designed re-spectively for intensification and diversification. To escape deep local optima, TSX_WDP employs a backbone-based recombination opera-tor to generate new starting points for tabu search and to displace the search into unexplored promising regions. The recombination operator operates on elite solutions previously found which are recorded in an global archive. The performance of our algorithm is assessed on a set of 500 well-known WDP benchmark instances. Comparisons with five state of the art algorithms demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach

License prices for financially constrained firms

It is often alleged that high auction prices inhibit service deployment. We investigate this claim under the extreme case of financially constrained bidders. If demand is just slightly elastic, auctions maximize consumer surplus if consumer surplus is a convex function of quantity (a common assumption), or if consumer surplus is concave and the proportion of expenditure spent on deployment is greater than one over the elasticity of demand. The latter condition appears to be true for most of the large telecom auctions in the US and Europe. Thus, even if high auction prices inhibit service deployment, auctions appear to be optimal from the consumers’ point of view

Internally Electrodynamic Particle Model: Its Experimental Basis and Its Predictions

The internally electrodynamic (IED) particle model was derived based on overall experimental observations, with the IED process itself being built directly on three experimental facts, a) electric charges present with all material particles, b) an accelerated charge generates electromagnetic waves according to Maxwell's equations and Planck energy equation and c) source motion produces Doppler effect. A set of well-known basic particle equations and properties become predictable based on first principles solutions for the IED process; several key solutions achieved are outlined, including the de Broglie phase wave, de Broglie relations, Schr\"odinger equation, mass, Einstein mass-energy relation, Newton's law of gravity, single particle self interference, and electromagnetic radiation and absorption; these equations and properties have long been broadly experimentally validated or demonstrated. A specific solution also predicts the Doebner-Goldin equation which emerges to represent a form of long-sought quantum wave equation including gravity. A critical review of the key experiments is given which suggests that the IED process underlies the basic particle equations and properties not just sufficiently but also necessarily.Comment: Presentation at the 27th Int Colloq on Group Theo Meth in Phys, 200

Multiphoton radiative recombination of electron assisted by laser field

In the presence of an intensive laser field the radiative recombination of the continuum electron into an atomic bound state generally is accompanied by absorption or emission of several laser quanta. The spectrum of emitted photons represents an equidistant pattern with the spacing equal to the laser frequency. The distribution of intensities in this spectrum is studied employing the Keldysh-type approximation, i.e. neglecting interaction of the impact electron with the atomic core in the initial continuum state. Within the adiabatic approximation the scale of emitted photon frequencies is subdivided into classically allowed and classically forbidden domains. The highest intensities correspond to emission frequencies close to the edges of classically allowed domain. The total cross section of electron recombination summed over all emitted photon channels exhibits negligible dependence on the laser field intensity.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures (Figs.2-5 have "a" and "b" parts), Phys.Rev.A accepted for publication. Fig.2b is presented correctl

Three Wide-Separation L dwarf Companions from the Two Micron All Sky Survey: Gl 337C, Gl 618.1B, and HD 89744B

We present two confirmed wide separation L-dwarf common proper motion companions to nearby stars and one candidate identified from the Two Micron All Sky Survey. Spectral types from optical spectroscopy are L0 V, L2.5 V, and L8 V. Near-infrared low resolution spectra of the companions are provided as well as a grid of known objects spanning M6 V -- T dwarfs to support spectral type assignment for these and future L-dwarfs in the z'JHK bands. Using published measurements, we estimate ages of the companions from physical properties of the primaries. These crude ages allow us to estimate companion masses using theoretical low-mass star and brown dwarf evolutionary models. The new L-dwarfs in this paper bring the number of known wide-binary (Separation >= 100 AU) L-dwarf companions of nearby stars to nine. One of the L-dwarfs is a wide separation companion to the F7 IV-V + extrasolar planet system HD89744Ab.Comment: 20 pages including 6 tables and 4 figures, AJ, in pres

An Experimental Investigation of Colonel Blotto Games

"This article examines behavior in the two-player, constant-sum Colonel Blotto game with asymmetric resources in which players maximize the expected number of battlefields won. The experimental results support all major theoretical predictions. In the auction treatment, where winning a battlefield is deterministic, disadvantaged players use a 'guerilla warfare' strategy which stochastically allocates zero resources to a subset of battlefields. Advantaged players employ a 'stochastic complete coverage' strategy, allocating random, but positive, resource levels across the battlefields. In the lottery treatment, where winning a battlefield is probabilistic, both players divide their resources equally across all battlefields." (author's abstract)"Dieser Artikel untersucht das Verhalten von Individuen in einem 'constant-sum Colonel Blotto'-Spiel zwischen zwei Spielern, bei dem die Spieler mit unterschiedlichen Ressourcen ausgestattet sind und die erwartete Anzahl gewonnener Schlachtfelder maximieren. Die experimentellen Ergebnisse bestätigen alle wichtigen theoretischen Vorhersagen. Im Durchgang, in dem wie in einer Auktion der Sieg in einem Schlachtfeld deterministisch ist, wenden die Spieler, die sich im Nachteil befinden, eine 'Guerillataktik' an, und verteilen ihre Ressourcen stochastisch auf eine Teilmenge der Schlachtfelder. Spieler mit einem Vorteil verwenden eine Strategie der 'stochastischen vollständigen Abdeckung', indem sie zufällig eine positive Ressourcenmenge auf allen Schlachtfeldern positionieren. Im Durchgang, in dem sich der Gewinn eines Schlachtfeldes probabilistisch wie in einer Lotterie bestimmt, teilen beide Spieler ihre Ressourcen gleichmäßig auf alle Schlachtfelder auf." (Autorenreferat

The Buffer Gas Beam: An Intense, Cold, and Slow Source for Atoms and Molecules

Beams of atoms and molecules are stalwart tools for spectroscopy and studies of collisional processes. The supersonic expansion technique can create cold beams of many species of atoms and molecules. However, the resulting beam is typically moving at a speed of 300-600 m/s in the lab frame, and for a large class of species has insufficient flux (i.e. brightness) for important applications. In contrast, buffer gas beams can be a superior method in many cases, producing cold and relatively slow molecules in the lab frame with high brightness and great versatility. There are basic differences between supersonic and buffer gas cooled beams regarding particular technological advantages and constraints. At present, it is clear that not all of the possible variations on the buffer gas method have been studied. In this review, we will present a survey of the current state of the art in buffer gas beams, and explore some of the possible future directions that these new methods might take

Images of crustal and mantle structure across the northern margin of the Tibet-Pamir plateau

Abstract HKT-ISTP 2013 A

Relationship Bonds and Customer Loyalty: A Study Across Different Service Contexts

The benefits of customer relationship strategies are well known and somewhat established nowadays. Customer loyalty emerges as the crucial glue in developing a relational approach. However, relational bonds, which relate to customer loyalty, have not yet been fully explored. Also, there is little research that takes into account the effect of service types on customer relationships and bonding. This paper develops a conceptual framework based on previous literature with a complete set of different relational bonds and examines its influence on customer loyalty across search, experience and credence services through a survey-based empirical study, with a sample of 233 consumers. The results provide guidance to managers to differentiate customer relationship strategies according to each specific service context