In linear-quadratic control (LQC) problems with singular control cost matrix and/or singular transition matrix, we derive a reduction of the dimension of the Riccati matrix, simplifying iteration and solution. Employing a novel transformation, we show that, under a certain rank condition, the...

This paper proposes a novel method of global optimization based on cuckoo-host co-evaluation. It also develops a Fortran-77 code for the algorithm. The algorithm has been tested on 96 benchmark functions (of which the results of 30 relatively harder problems have been reported). The proposed...

This paper considers the dynamic lot sizing problem of H. M. Wagner and T. M. Whitin with the assumption that the total cost of n setups is a concave nondecreasing function of n. Such setup costs could arise from the worker learning in setups and/or technological improvements in setup methods....

The current paper defines the optimal sequential information gathering structure of a rational utility maximizer decision maker in the simplest non-trivial theoretical scenario, where the decision maker is allowed to acquire only two pieces of information from a set of multidimensional goods. We...

The set covering problem is an NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem that arises in applications ranging from crew scheduling in airlines to driver scheduling in public mass transport. In this paper we analyze search space characteristics of a widely used set of benchmark instances through...

A model of employer advertised vacancies for labor is presented. The model's predictions are consistent with a variety of results reported by applied studies of the durations of different types of vacancies, and with the advertising strategies used by employers. The optimal advertising policy is...

An uninformed sender designs a mechanism that discloses information about her type to a privately informed receiver, who then decides whether to act. I impose a single-crossing assumption, so that the receiver with a higher type is more willing to act. Using a linear programming approach, I...

This paper studies how languages are shaped by the cognitive costs that using them involves. We introduce a new continuous approach to characterize the optimal resolution of the trade-off between the precision of a language and the complexity of the structures it uses, and its dependence on the...

PRECON S.A is a manufacturing company dedicated to produce prefabricated concrete parts to several industries as rail transportation and agricultural industries.Recently, PRECON signed a contract with RENFE, the Spanish National Rail Transportation Company to manufacture pre-stressed concrete...