Single-leg airline revenue management with overbooking

Airline revenue management is about identifying the maximum revenue seat allocation policies. Since a major loss in revenue results from cancellations and no-show passengers, over the years overbooking has received a significant attention in the literature. In this study, we propose new models for static and dynamic single-leg overbooking problems. In the static case, we introduce computationally tractable models that give upper and lower bounds for the optimal expected revenue. In the dynamic case, we propose a new dynamic programming model, which is based on two streams of arrivals. The first stream corresponds to the booking requests and the second stream represents the cancellations. We also conduct simulation experiments to illustrate the proposed models and the solution methods

Statistically validated networks in bipartite complex systems

Many complex systems present an intrinsic bipartite nature and are often described and modeled in terms of networks [1-5]. Examples include movies and actors [1, 2, 4], authors and scientific papers [6-9], email accounts and emails [10], plants and animals that pollinate them [11, 12]. Bipartite networks are often very heterogeneous in the number of relationships that the elements of one set establish with the elements of the other set. When one constructs a projected network with nodes from only one set, the system heterogeneity makes it very difficult to identify preferential links between the elements. Here we introduce an unsupervised method to statistically validate each link of the projected network against a null hypothesis taking into account the heterogeneity of the system. We apply our method to three different systems, namely the set of clusters of orthologous genes (COG) in completely sequenced genomes [13, 14], a set of daily returns of 500 US financial stocks, and the set of world movies of the IMDb database [15]. In all these systems, both different in size and level of heterogeneity, we find that our method is able to detect network structures which are informative about the system and are not simply expression of its heterogeneity. Specifically, our method (i) identifies the preferential relationships between the elements, (ii) naturally highlights the clustered structure of investigated systems, and (iii) allows to classify links according to the type of statistically validated relationships between the connected nodes.Comment: Main text: 13 pages, 3 figures, and 1 Table. Supplementary information: 15 pages, 3 figures, and 2 Table

Mechanism of copper(II)-induced misfolding of Parkinson's disease protein

α-synuclein (aS) is a natively unfolded pre-synaptic protein found in all Parkinson's disease patients as the major component of fibrillar plaques. Metal ions, and especially Cu(II), have been demonstrated to accelerate aggregation of aS into fibrillar plaques, the precursors to Lewy bodies. In this work, copper binding to aS is investigated by a combination of quantum and molecular mechanics simulations. Starting from the experimentally observed attachment site, several optimized structures of Cu-binding geometries are examined. The most energetically favorable attachment results in significant allosteric changes, making aS more susceptible to misfolding. Indeed, an inverse kinematics investigation of the configuration space uncovers a dynamically stable β-sheet conformation of Cu-aS that serves as a nucleation point for a second β-strand. Based on these findings, we propose an atomistic mechanism of copper-induced misfolding of aS as an initial event in the formation of Lewy bodies and thus in PD pathogenesis

Aspects of coverage in medical DNA sequencing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>DNA sequencing is now emerging as an important component in biomedical studies of diseases like cancer. Short-read, highly parallel sequencing instruments are expected to be used heavily for such projects, but many design specifications have yet to be conclusively established. Perhaps the most fundamental of these is the redundancy required to detect sequence variations, which bears directly upon genomic coverage and the consequent resolving power for discerning somatic mutations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We address the medical sequencing coverage problem via an extension of the standard mathematical theory of haploid coverage. The expected diploid multi-fold coverage, as well as its generalization for aneuploidy are derived and these expressions can be readily evaluated for any project. The resulting theory is used as a scaling law to calibrate performance to that of standard BAC sequencing at 8× to 10× redundancy, i.e. for expected coverages that exceed 99% of the unique sequence. A differential strategy is formalized for tumor/normal studies wherein tumor samples are sequenced more deeply than normal ones. In particular, both tumor alleles should be detected at least twice, while both normal alleles are detected at least once. Our theory predicts these requirements can be met for tumor and normal redundancies of approximately 26× and 21×, respectively. We explain why these values do not differ by a factor of 2, as might intuitively be expected. Future technology developments should prompt even deeper sequencing of tumors, but the 21× value for normal samples is essentially a constant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Given the assumptions of standard coverage theory, our model gives pragmatic estimates for required redundancy. The differential strategy should be an efficient means of identifying potential somatic mutations for further study.</p

A unified treatment of single component replacement models

In this paper we discuss a general framework for single component replacement models. This framework is based on the regenerative structure of these models and by using results from renewal theory a unified presentation of the discounted and average finite and infinite horizon cost models is given. Finally, some well-known replacement models are discussed, and making use of the previous results an easy derivation of their cost functions is presented

Gender-Kompetenz für die Erwachsenenbildung

Der vorliegende Beitrag betrachtet EQF und DQR als Herausforderung und Chance, auch für Beschäftigte in der Weiterbildung zu einem kompetenzorientierten Qualifikationsrahmen zu kommen. Gerade in Bezug auf die Lehrenden könnte ein solcher Bezugsrahmen Klarheit schaffen und vielfältig Nutzen stiften. Ein erstes Referenzmodell wurde im Rahmen einer Expertise für das BMBF erarbeitet, es orientiert sich an hiesigen Vorarbeiten und nimmt auch Anleihen bei ausländischen Modellen. Die Ausarbeitung ist letztlich dem Interesse an mehr Professionalisierung und Qualität in der Weiterbildung geschuldet.This article presents a specific qualifications framework for the sector of further education, consisting of a two-stage model (basic and advanced certificates). This touches on the discussion about the EQF and DQR as a motivation and opportunity for the professionalisation of further education. The model takes up examples from Austria and Switzerland and is aligned toward preliminary work in Germany

Culture-area relation in Axelrod's model for culture dissemination

Axelrod's model for culture dissemination offers a nontrivial answer to the question of why there is cultural diversity given that people's beliefs have a tendency to become more similar to each other's as people interact repeatedly. The answer depends on the two control parameters of the model, namely, the number $F$ of cultural features that characterize each agent, and the number $q$ of traits that each feature can take on, as well as on the size $A$ of the territory or, equivalently, on the number of interacting agents. Here we investigate the dependence of the number $C$ of distinct coexisting cultures on the area $A$ in Axelrod's model -- the culture-area relationship -- through extensive Monte Carlo simulations. We find a non-monotonous culture-area relation, for which the number of cultures decreases when the area grows beyond a certain size, provided that $q$ is smaller than a threshold value $q_c = q_c (F)$ and $F \geq 3$. In the limit of infinite area, this threshold value signals the onset of a discontinuous transition between a globalized regime marked by a uniform culture (C=1), and a completely polarized regime where all $C = q^F$ possible cultures coexist. Otherwise the culture-area relation exhibits the typical behavior of the species-area relation, i.e., a monotonically increasing curve the slope of which is steep at first and steadily levels off at some maximum diversity value

Another beauty of analytical chemistry: chemical analysis of inorganic pigments of art and archaeological objects

[EN] This lecture text shows what fascinating tasks analytical chemists face in Art Conservation and Archaeology, and it is hoped that students reading it will realize that passions for science, arts or history are by no means mutually exclusive. This study describes the main analytical techniques used since the eighteenth century, and in particular, the instrumental techniques developed throughout the last century for analyzing pigments and inorganic materials, in general, which are found in cultural artefacts, such as artworks and archaeological remains. The lecture starts with a historical review on the use of analytical methods for the analysis of pigments from archaeological and art objects. Three different periods can be distinguished in the history of the application of the Analytical Chemistry in Archaeometrical and Art Conservation studies: (a) the "Formation'' period (eighteenth century1930), (b) the "Maturing'' period (1930-1970), and (c) the "Expansion'' period (1970-nowadays). A classification of analytical methods specifically established in the fields of Archaeometry and Conservation Science is also provided. After this, some sections are devoted to the description of a number of analytical techniques, which are most commonly used in routine analysis of pigments from cultural heritage. Each instrumental section gives the fundamentals of the instrumental technique, together with relevant analytical data and examples of applications.Financial support is gratefully acknowledged from Spanish ‘‘I+D+I MINECO’’ projects CTQ2011-28079-CO3-01 and CTQ2014-53736-C3-1-P supported by ERDEF funds.Domenech Carbo, MT.; Osete Cortina, L. (2016). 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On the Coupling Time of the Heat-Bath Process for the Fortuin–Kasteleyn Random–Cluster Model

We consider the coupling from the past implementation of the random-cluster heat-bath process, and study its random running time, or coupling time. We focus on hypercubic lattices embedded on tori, in dimensions one to three, with cluster fugacity at least one. We make a number of conjectures regarding the asymptotic behaviour of the coupling time, motivated by rigorous results in one dimension and Monte Carlo simulations in dimensions two and three. Amongst our findings, we observe that, for generic parameter values, the distribution of the appropriately standardized coupling time converges to a Gumbel distribution, and that the standard deviation of the coupling time is asymptotic to an explicit universal constant multiple of the relaxation time. Perhaps surprisingly, we observe these results to hold both off criticality, where the coupling time closely mimics the coupon collector's problem, and also at the critical point, provided the cluster fugacity is below the value at which the transition becomes discontinuous. Finally, we consider analogous questions for the single-spin Ising heat-bath process