Broad Histogram Method for Continuous Systems: the XY-Model

We propose a way of implementing the Broad Histogram Monte Carlo method to systems with continuous degrees of freedom, and we apply these ideas to investigate the three-dimensional XY-model with periodic boundary conditions. We have found an excellent agreement between our method and traditional Metropolis results for the energy, the magnetization, the specific heat and the magnetic susceptibility on a very large temperature range. For the calculation of these quantities in the temperature range 0.7<T<4.7 our method took less CPU time than the Metropolis simulations for 16 temperature points in that temperature range. Furthermore, it calculates the whole temperature range 1.2<T<4.7 using only 2.2 times more computer effort than the Histogram Monte Carlo method for the range 2.1<T<2.2. Our way of treatment is general, it can also be applied to other systems with continuous degrees of freedom.Comment: 23 pages, 10 Postscript figures, to be published in Int. J. Mod. Phys.

Generalized non-autonomous Cohen-Grossberg neural network model

In the present paper, we investigate both the global exponential stability and the existence of a periodic solution of a general differential equation with unbounded distributed delays. The main stability criterion depends on the dominance of the non-delay terms over the delay terms. The criterion for the existence of a periodic solution is obtained with the application of the coincide degree theorem. We use the main results to get criteria for the existence and global exponential stability of periodic solutions of a generalized higher-order periodic Cohen-Grossberg neural network model with discrete-time varying delays and infinite distributed delays. Additionally, we provide a comparison with the results in the literature and a numerical simulation to illustrate the effectiveness of some of our results.Comment: 30 page

Transport on exploding percolation clusters

We propose a simple generalization of the explosive percolation process [Achlioptas et al., Science 323, 1453 (2009)], and investigate its structural and transport properties. In this model, at each step, a set of q unoccupied bonds is randomly chosen. Each of these bonds is then associated with a weight given by the product of the cluster sizes that they would potentially connect, and only that bond among the q-set which has the smallest weight becomes occupied. Our results indicate that, at criticality, all finite-size scaling exponents for the spanning cluster, the conducting backbone, the cutting bonds, and the global conductance of the system, change continuously and significantly with q. Surprisingly, we also observe that systems with intermediate values of q display the worst conductive performance. This is explained by the strong inhibition of loops in the spanning cluster, resulting in a substantially smaller associated conducting backbone.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Nonuniform behavior and stability of Hopfield neural networks with delay

Based on a new abstract result on the behavior of nonautonomous delayed equations, we obtain a stability result for the solutions of a general discrete nonautonomous Hopfield neural network model with delay. As an application we improve some existing results on the stability of Hopfield models.Antonio J G Bento and Cesar M Silva were partially supported by FCT through CMA-UBI (project PEst-OE/MAT/UI0212/2013).Jose J Oliveira was supported by the Research Centre of Mathematics of the University of Minho with the Portuguese Funds from the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, through the Project PEstOE/MAT/UI0013/2014.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Existence and stability of a periodic solution of a general difference equation with applications to neural networks with a delay in the leakage terms

In this paper, a new global exponential stability criterion is obtained for a general multidimensional delay difference equation using induction arguments. In the cases that the difference equation is periodic, we prove the existence of a periodic solution by constructing a type of Poincar\'e map. The results are used to obtain stability criteria for a general discrete-time neural network model with a delay in the leakage terms. As particular cases, we obtain new stability criteria for neural network models recently studied in the literature, in particular for low-order and high-order Hopfield and Bidirectional Associative Memory(BAM).Comment: 20 pages, 3 figure

Study of the Fully Frustrated Clock Model using the Wang-Landau Algorithm

Monte Carlo simulations using the newly proposed Wang-Landau algorithm together with the broad histogram relation are performed to study the antiferromagnetic six-state clock model on the triangular lattice, which is fully frustrated. We confirm the existence of the magnetic ordering belonging to the Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) type phase transition followed by the chiral ordering which occurs at slightly higher temperature. We also observe the lower temperature phase transition of KT type due to the discrete symmetry of the clock model. By using finite-size scaling analysis, the higher KT temperature $T_2$ and the chiral critical temperature $T_c$ are respectively estimated as $T_2=0.5154(8)$ and $T_c=0.5194(4)$. The results are in favor of the double transition scenario. The lower KT temperature is estimated as $T_1=0.496(2)$. Two decay exponents of KT transitions corresponding to higher and lower temperatures are respectively estimated as $\eta_2=0.25(1)$ and $\eta_1=0.13(1)$, which suggests that the exponents associated with the KT transitions are universal even for the frustrated model.Comment: 7 pages including 9 eps figures, RevTeX, to appear in J. Phys.

Reel and sheet cutting at a paper mill

This work describes a real-world industrial problem of production planning and cutting optimization of reels and sheets, occurring at a Portuguese paper mill. It will focus on a particular module of the global problem, which is concerned with the determination of the width combinations of the items involved in the planning process: the main goal consists in satisfying an order set of reels and sheets that must be cut from master reels. The width combination process will determine the quantity/weight of the master reels to be produced and their cutting patterns, in order to minimize waste, while satisfying production orders. A two-phase approach has been devised, naturally dependent on the technological process involved. Details of the models and solution methods are presented. Moreover some illustrative computational results are included