Unequal Weights Research Articles

A Proposal to Evaluate Drought Characteristics Using Multiple Climate Models for Multiple Timescales

This study presents a method to investigate meteorological drought characteristics using multiple climate models for multiple timescales under two representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, during 2021–2050. The methods of delta change factor, unequal weights, standardized precipitation index, Mann–Kendall and Sen’s slope are proposed and applied with the main purpose of reducing uncertainty in climate projections and detection of the projection trends in meteorological drought. Climate simulations of three regional climate models driven by four global climate models are used to estimate weights for each run on the basic of rank sum. The reliability is then assessed by comparing a weighted ensemble climate output with observations during 1989–2008. Timescales of 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months are considered to calculate the standardized precipitation index, taking the Vu Gia-Thu Bon (VG-TB) as a pilot basin. The results show efficient precipitation simulations using unequal weights. In the same timescales, the occurrence of moderately wet events is smaller than that of moderately dry events under the RCP4.5 scenario during 2021–2050. Events classified as “extremely wet”, “extremely dry”, “very wet” and “severely dry” are expected to rarely occur under the RCP8.5 scenario.

GIS based quantification and mapping of climate change vulnerability hotspots in Addis Ababa

BackgroundUnlike the studies undertaken on agricultural and hydrological sectors, focused climate change vulnerability researches in urban centers in Ethiopia is not widely available and of recent history. However, as many signals of climate change vulnerability started to happen in urban centers as well, it is inevitable to analyze, quantify, map, prioritize and be prepared for adaptation measures. This study is therefore, tried to assess, quantify and map climate change vulnerability in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by integrating two climate change vulnerability assessment models, namely, the Sullivan and Meigh’s Model of composite climate change vulnerability index and the IPCC’s approach of vulnerability assessment which comprises exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Fifteen sub-components of vulnerability indicators were identified in ten sub-cities (Addis Ketema, Arada, Akaki-Kality, Bole, Gulelle, Kirkos, Kolfe-Keraniyo, Lideta, Nifasilk-Lafto and Yeka) of Addis Ababa. Due to the scale, degree, amount and unit of measurement for the selected indicators varied, their values were normalized to a number which ranges between 0 and 1, indicating as the values increased to 1, vulnerability to climate change increases. The study uses Iyengar and Sudarshan’s unequal weighting system, to assign a weight to all indicators. The results were mapped using ArcGIS 10.2 package.ResultsThe results indicated that the ten sub-cities in Addis Ababa were found in different levels of vulnerability to climate change. The exposure and sensitivity were highest for Addis Ketema, Arada, and Lideta which are found in central parts of the city, with a normalization index value greater than 0.5. The adaptive capacity index is the highest in Gulelle, Bole, and Arada sub-cities. These sub-cities have better quality houses, well-planned districts, good infrastructural facilities and good coverage of green areas compared to others. The overall climate change vulnerability was the highest (normalized index > 0.5) in Arada, Addis Ketema and Lideta, due to the adaptation capacity is the lowest compared to other sub-cities.ConclusionAddis Ababa is vulnerable to climate change impacts and the degree of vulnerability is underpinned by the interaction of multiple factors mainly adaptive capacities of sub-cities, location based characteristics and changes in climatic parameters. These present a need to strengthen mitigation and adaptation activities and prioritize sub cities for intervention based on the degree of vulnerability. It is also understood that the Sullivan and Meigh’s Model and IPCC’s approach for climate change analyses, could be used simultaneously for preparing vulnerability index per different geographical locations.

Research on Fusion Technology of Multi-frequency Source in Time Frequency Synchronization Device

At present, according to the priority principle, the time frequency synchronization device uses one of the multi-frequency sources for time keeping, and the quality of synchronous signal cannot be optimized. To solve this problem, a time keeping algorithm for multi-frequency source fusion backup is proposed, and more accurate frequency signals are used for time keeping by fusing multiple frequency sources. Through the combination of theoretical analysis and experimental testing, the selection method of multi frequency source weights in the fusion algorithm is studied. Experiments have verified the advantages of the multi-frequency source fusion algorithm when the frequency source is abnormal. The results of the study show that the use of unequal weights can make the stability of the frequency fusion better, and the fusion algorithm can effectively eliminate the abnormal frequency source, so that the frequency stability after fusion converges to the frequency stability of the optimal frequency source.

The effect of sample size on the accuracy of species distribution models: considering both presences and pseudo‐absences or background sites

Most high‐performing species distribution modelling techniques require both presences, and either absences or pseudo‐absences or background points. In this paper, we explore the effect of sample size, towards developing improved strategies for modelling. We generated 1800 virtual species with three levels of prevalence using ten modelling techniques, while varying the number of training presences (NTP) and the number of random points (NRP representing pseudo‐absences or background sites). For five of the ten modelling techniques we built two versions of models: one with an equal total weight (ETW) setting where the total weight for pseudo‐absence is equivalent to the total weight for presence, and another with an unequal total weight (UTW) setting where the total weight for pseudo‐absence is not required to be equal to the total weight for presence. We compared two strategies for NRP: a small multiplier strategy (i.e. setting NRP at a few times as large as NTP), and a large number strategy (i.e. using numerous random points). We produced ensemble models (by averaging the predictions from 30 models built with the same set of training presences and different sets of random points in equivalent numbers) for three NTP magnitudes and two NRP strategies. We found that model accuracy altered as NRP increased with four distinct patterns of performance: increasing, decreasing, arch‐shaped and horizontal. In most cases ETW improved model performance. Ensemble models had higher accuracy than the corresponding single models, and this improvement was pronounced when NTP was low. We conclude that a large NRP is not always an appropriate strategy. The best choice for NRP will depend on the modelling techniques used, species prevalence and NTP. We recommend building ensemble models instead of single models, using the small multiplier strategy for NRP with ETW, especially when only a small number of species presence records are available.

A meta-heuristic for minimizing total weighted flow time on parallel batch machines

Abstract To address the problem of minimizing the total weighted completion time on parallel batch processing machines with identical machine capacities, non-identical job sizes and unequal weights, an effective meta-heuristic based on ant colony optimization is proposed. After presenting a mathematic model of the problem, we provide an algorithm to calculate the lower bound. Then, a meta-heuristic is proposed to solve the problem. The heuristic information is defined with consideration of job weights and job sizes. Meanwhile, a candidate set for constructing the solution is used to narrow the search space. Additionally, to improve the solution quality, a local optimization strategy is incorporated. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is able to obtain a high-quality solution within a reasonable time, and outperforms the compared algorithms.

Priority for Treatment and Intensive Care of Patients With Non-Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia

BackgroundThe Infectious Disease Society of America/the American Thoracic Society (IDSA/ATS) minor criteria for severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are of unequal weight in predicting mortality. It is unclear whether the patients with non-severe CAP meeting the minor criteria most strongly associated to mortality should have the priority for treatment and intensive care. It is warranted to explore this intriguing hypothesis. MethodsA retrospective cohort study of 1230 patients with CAP was performed. This was tested against a prospective 2-center cohort of 1749 adults with CAP. ResultsThe patients with CAP fulfilling the predictive findings most strongly associated to mortality, i.e. PaO2/FiO2 ≤ 250 mm Hg, confusion, and uremia, showed higher mortality rates than those not fulfilling the predictive findings in subgroup analyses of the retrospective cohort. The more the number of predictive findings present, the higher the mortality rates. The prospective cohort confirmed a similar pattern. Interestingly, the patients with non-severe CAP meeting the predictive findings demonstrated unexpectedly higher mortality rates compared with the patients with severe CAP not meeting the predictive findings in the prospective cohort (P = 0.003), although there only existed death of an uptrend in the retrospective cohort. Two similar and intriguing paradigms about sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores and pneumonia severity index (PSI) scores were confirmed in the 2 cohorts. ConclusionsThe patients with non-severe CAP fulfilling the predictive findings most strongly associated to mortality demonstrated higher SOFA and PSI scores and mortality rates, and might have the priority for treatment and intensive care.

The Influence of Contract Prices and Relationships on Collateral Valuation

Prior evidence has shown appraised values of residential properties are biased, but the mechanism and motivation of appraisers to bias their estimates are unclear. We construct a database of 25.3 million comparable transactions selected and used by appraisers to estimate 6.5 million property values associated with a home purchase from 2013 until 2017. The primary source of introduced bias we identify is in the weights appraisers assign to individual comparable transactions after already adjusting for observable attributes. We find appraisers use unequal weighting to increase appraised values to match contract price for over 69% of properties if an otherwise equal weighting would have resulted in an appraised value under that amount. This unequal weighting resulted in an additional 23% of properties having an appraised value at least equal to contract price. Using appraiser-specific fixed effects, we show appraisers were most likely to apply differential weights to confirm contract price for the properties associated with financial institutions, loan officers, and real estate brokers they worked with most frequently. We discuss potential reforms to offset such biases in the conclusion.

Combining speed and accuracy to control for speed-accuracy trade-offs(?).

In psychological experiments, participants are typically instructed to respond as fast as possible without sacrificing accuracy. How they interpret this instruction and, consequently, which speed-accuracy trade-off they choose might vary between experiments, between participants, and between conditions. Consequently, experimental effects can appear unpredictably in either RTs or error rates(i.e., accuracy). Even more problematic, spurious effects might emerge that are actually due only to differential speed-accuracy trade-offs. An often-suggested solution is the inverse efficiency score (IES; Townsend & Ashby, 1983), which combines speed and accuracy into a single score. Alternatives are the rate-correct score (RCS; Woltz & Was, 2006) and the linear-integrated speed-accuracy score (LISAS; Vandierendonck, 2017, 2018). We report analyses on simulated data generated with the standard diffusion model (Ratcliff, 1978) showing that IES, RCS, and LISAS put unequal weights on speed and accuracy, depending on the accuracy level, and that these measures are actually very sensitive to speed-accuracy trade-offs. These findings stand in contrast to a fourth alternative, the balanced integration score (BIS; Liesefeld, Fu, & Zimmer, 2015), which was devised to integrate speed and accuracy with equal weights. Although all of the measures maintain "real" effects, only BIS is relatively insensitive to speed-accuracy trade-offs.

Flexible alpha allocation strategies for confirmatory adaptive enrichment clinical trials with a prespecified subgroup.

Adaptive enrichment designs have recently received considerable attention as they have the potential to make drug development process for personalized medicine more efficient. Several statistical approaches have been proposed so far in the literature and the operating characteristics of these approaches are extensively investigated using simulation studies. In this paper, we improve on existing adaptive enrichment designs by assigning unequal weights to the significance levels associated with the hypotheses of the overall population and a prespecified subgroup. More specifically, we focus on the standard combination test, a modified combination test, the marginal combination test, and the partial conditional error rate approach and explore the operating characteristics of these approaches by a simulation study. We show that these approaches can lead to power gains, compared to existing approaches, if the weights are chosen carefully.

Dimensiones y espacios electorales en las elecciones autonómicas vascas de 2012 y 2016

En este artículo se analiza la incidencia de los principales cleavages –ideológico e identitario- presentes en la competición electoral vasca para las elecciones de 2012 y 2016, e intenta constituirse como una vía intermedia entre aquellos desarrollos teóricos que señalan la preeminencia de alguna de estas dimensiones de forma generalizada para todas las formaciones. Para ello abordamos los comicios a través de la teoría espacial del voto, mediante la utilización de modelos de regresión logística binaria. Esto nos ha permitido conocer el desigual peso otorgado por cada uno de los electorados de las diferentes formaciones políticos a estas fracturas centrales. Asimismo, para las elecciones de 2016 se demuestra la existencia de patrones de voto contrapuestos, de tal forma que los electores de los partidos no estatales tienden a primar la dimensión ideológica como elemento diferenciador; mientras que el votante de las formaciones estatales le otorga un mayor peso a la variable nacionalista, concretamente al nacionalismo desarrollado por su principal competir en la dimensión alternativa.

Quantitative relation between the ESR signal intensities in Ge and E’ centers and quartz mass

Establishing the quantitative relation between electron spin resonance (ESR) signal intensity and quartz mass can help both to improve ESR signal measurement and to allow a greater understanding of the characteristics of ESR color centers. However, this relation has not as yet been clearly defined. We measured the ESR signal intensities in the Ge and E′ centers in the pure quartz in our samples. We applied both standard and additional doses of irradiation by using two different types of spectrometers across different timeframes in an attempt to establish the quantitative relation between the ESR signal intensities in Ge and E’ centers and quartz mass. The linear correlation established between ESR signal intensity and quartz mass was significant for the samples treated with additional irradiation, but there was, overall, no close correlation between ESR signal intensity and quartz mass for samples which were not given additional irradiation doses. A significant correlation between ESR signal intensity and quartz masses of weight ≥0.35 g was established for Ge center, but this was not the case for quartz masses of weight ≤0.3 g. This would suggest that the apparent instability of Ge center is likely aroused by the application of weak signals. The quantitative relation between ESR signal intensity and quartz mass might therefore provide a possible solution for the correction of signal intensities in aliquots of unequal weight in laboratory measurements, particularly for non-irradiated aliquots on the dose growth curve. We would propose that larger quartz masses be used for the clear identification of Ge center signal, for enhancing ESR signal intensity, and for improving the quality of signal measurement.

Service operations in DMV (division of motor vehicles) offices of the USA - a comparative study

PurposeDivision of motor vehicle (DMV) offices serve a wide swath of Americans in all states and can therefore serve as excellent vehicles to study the quality of public services in the country. However, relatively little attention has been devoted in the academic literature to studying operations in DMV offices, especially as it relates to service quality and productivity. In an attempt to address the same, this paper aims to present the results of a study of DMV offices across the USA through a nationwide survey about vehicle titling and registration services, that received response from 31 of the 50 states and District of Columbia.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a mixed methods approach – a sequential unequal weight mixed methods approach starting with a quantitative analysis of DMV operational data followed by a qualitative case study approach. The primary data collected for this study were with a nationwide survey of the highest DMV office in each state, conducted through the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Out of the 50 states, 31 states and District of Columbia responded to the survey. In addition to descriptive statistical analysis performed to glean nationwide findings, Data Envelopment Analysis was used to determine efficiency of operations. Finally, extensive in-person interviews with senior managers of DMV offices in Ohio and Indiana were conducted to get more in-depth information for case studies and identification of best practices.FindingsStates exhibit significant variations in labor and capital productivity and based on Data Envelopment Analysis, Texas and Minnesota DMVs are the most efficient in terms of using their labor and capital inputs to maximize the number of transactional services rendered. The authors also find that while operational performance of vehicle titling and registration services is monitored by most DMV offices across the nation, assessment of customer satisfaction received much less attention. Among the states that do well on both are Indiana and Ohio; the case studies presented based on interviews with their officials that also identify best practices.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was limited to the USA as are its findings. Additionally, it focuses only on vehicle titling and registration at DMV offices because that represents the bulk of services performed by a DMV and the output is standard across all states. Nonetheless, a future study should be extended to other DMV services.Practical implicationsGiven the finding that assessment of customer satisfaction is not widely practiced in DMV offices, DMV officials should address this by putting appropriate systems in place. Additionally, practitioners and state officials can use the findings of this study to develop best practices for their operations and also determine the most appropriate ways to structure the provision of those services that result in enhanced efficiencies and customer satisfaction.Social implicationsDMV services are among the most widely used services offered by the government in the USA and the overall size and scope of services provided by them across the country is immense. Thus, any improvements in productivity and service quality has significant implications in terms of improving public satisfaction with government services.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this represents the first nationwide comparative study of DMV offices in the USA that focuses on service quality and analyzes productivity across the states. Additionally, the case study provided at the end of the paper identifies best practices from two states that have received national recognition for service quality which could be adopted by all DMV offices across the USA. The findings also conform/strengthen numerous hypotheses espoused in existing models and theories from service operations literature by providing evidence in their favor.

Integration of serial sensory information in haptic perception of softness.

Redundant estimates of an environmental property derived simultaneously from different senses or cues are typically integrated according to the maximum likelihood estimation model (MLE): Sensory estimates are weighted according to their reliabilities, maximizing the percept's reliability. Mechanisms underlying the integration of sequentially derived estimates from one sense are less clear. Here we investigate the integration of serially sampled redundant information in softness perception. We developed a method to manipulate haptically perceived softness of silicone rubber stimuli during bare-finger exploration. We then manipulated softness estimates derived from single movement segments (indentations) in a multisegmented exploration to assess their contributions to the overall percept. Participants explored two stimuli in sequence, using 2-5 indentations, and reported which stimulus felt softer. Estimates of the first stimulus's softness contributed to the judgments similarly, whereas for the second stimulus estimates from later compared to earlier indentations contributed less. In line with unequal weighting, the percept's reliability increased with increasing exploration length less than was predicted by the MLE model. This pattern of results is well explained by assuming that the representation of the first stimulus fades when the second stimulus is explored, which fits with a neurophysiological model of perceptual decisions (Deco, Rolls, & Romo, 2010). (PsycINFO Database Record

A Description of the Real-Time HFIP Corrected Consensus Approach (HCCA) for Tropical Cyclone Track and Intensity Guidance

Abstract This study discusses the development of the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program (HFIP) Corrected Consensus Approach (HCCA) for tropical cyclone track and intensity forecasts. The HCCA technique relies on the forecasts of separate input models for both track and intensity and assigns unequal weighting coefficients based on a set of training forecasts. The HCCA track and intensity forecasts for 2015 were competitive with some of the best-performing operational guidance at the National Hurricane Center (NHC); HCCA was the most skillful model for Atlantic track forecasts through 48 h. Average track input model coefficients for the 2015 forecasts in both the Atlantic and eastern North Pacific basins were largest for the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) deterministic model and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System (GFS) ensemble mean, but the relative magnitudes of the intensity coefficients were more varied. Input model sensitivity experiments conducted using retrospective HCCA forecasts from 2011 to 2015 indicate that the ECMWF deterministic model had the largest positive impact on the skill of the HCCA track forecasts in both basins. The most important input models for HCCA intensity forecasts are the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) Model and the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System-Tropical Cyclone (COAMPS-TC) model initialized from the GFS. Several updates were incorporated into the HCCA formulation prior to the 2016 season. Verification results indicate HCCA continued to be a skillful model, especially for short-range (12–48 h) track forecasts in both basins.

Beyond the equal-weight framework of the Social Progress Index

Purpose Although the Social Progress Index offers a thorough overview of the top-ranked countries with a highly developed social performance, it assigns the same weight to all component scores, implying that each component has identical and independent contribution to the SPI. By removing these flawed assumptions, the purpose of this paper is to examine the causal relationships among component scores and identify the critical components for reform priorities. Design/methodology/approach The authors propose an alternative approach to exploring the causal relationships and prioritizing the underlying components of the SPI. The four-step methodology comprises cluster analysis, data mining, partial least square path modeling, and importance-performance matrix analysis. Findings The authors find evidence of causal interrelations between the 12 components of the SPI. To accelerate social progress, the authors suggest that policy makers should allocate resources in order of priority to personal freedom and choice, personal rights, access to advanced education, water and sanitation, access to information and communications, tolerance and inclusion, personal safety, shelter, ecosystem sustainability, nutrition and basic medical care, health and wellness, and, finally, access to basic knowledge. Practical implications Policy makers in government, business, and civil society should become aware of causal relationships among the 12 components of the SPI and select an appropriate methodology to prioritize areas where social improvement is most needed. Originality/value Allowing for unequal weighting and causal relationships between component scores of the SPI, the authors’ methodology is the first attempt to offer a concrete way to identify which areas of social progress should constitute priorities for policy reforms.

Efficient Decoding of LDM Core Layer at Fixed Receivers in ATSC 3.0

In order to decode an enhanced layer (EL) signal for a layered-division multiplexing (LDM) system at fixed receivers in ATSC 3.0, low-density parity-check (LDPC)/BCH decoding and successive interference cancellation should be performed to eliminate the core layer (CL) signal. For a high signal-to-noise ratio environment and sufficient low injection level of the EL signal, the CL bit-interleaved coded modulation decoder can easily achieve quasi error free for the whole LDPC codeword. However, for high injection levels, there may be still many erroneous bits in the parity part even after LDPC/BCH decoding since the ATSC 3.0 LDPC codes have the characteristic of unequal error protection due to the unequal weight distributions in their parity-check matrices. Therefore, ATSC 3.0 receivers should include re-encoding module for CL LDPC codes to completely recover the CL signal for LDM system. In this paper, we propose an efficient method to reconstruct CL signal in ATSC 3.0 LDM systems, which can be realized by a modified re-encoding after LDPC decoding of the CL signal. It significantly reduces the computational complexity and worst case latency without any loss of coding performance.

How to Limit Accommodations

In recent years, the United States has seen a resurgence of debates over the propriety of various religious accommodations afforded religious individuals and institutions from otherwise valid laws. The crumbling consensus over religious accommodations appears largely due to growing skepticism over whether religious accommodations, once granted, can be limited to the “right” kind of cases without bleeding into the “wrong” kind of cases. Some courts and scholars have responded to these growing worries by proposing limits on the scope of legally recognized accommodationist claims; for example, some have argued that commercial entities should, per se, be denied claims for religious accommodation and others have argued that claims for accommodation should not be granted where the theological burden is deemed by a court to be de minimis or non-existent. By limiting the types of recognized accommodationist claims, such arguments hope to prevent religious objections from trumping other important rights and values; if the claims never get off the ground, so the logic goes, there is no need to worry about their potential consequences. This tactic, however, stands on dangerous footing. At bottom, such arguments put government in the position of giving unequal weight and credence to claims for accommodation based upon religious and theological criteria, thereby creating inequalities among religious claims. As an alternative strategy, courts should avoid threshold doctrinal tests for accommodation claims; instead courts should explicitly balance religious claims against important government interests in order to determine whether or not to grant an accommodation. Such an alternative approach pulls courts out of the business of distinguishing between different types of religious claims, encouraging them instead to impose limits on religious accommodation by directly considering governmental interests, precisely the type of inquiry courts are well-equipped to address.

Detection of cost leaders in case of private primary school services

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into distinguish cost leaders from the architects of diversification (Porter, 1985) using a non-central principal component analysis (PCA)-based approach. The central theme of this paper is based on the assumption that the operational strategy of a competing firm can be understood by observing its resource consumption and technological practice vis-à-vis its rivals present in the market.Design/methodology/approachDepending on the previous surveys, two inputs (spending per student and percentage of non-poor income group) and two outputs (average scores attained by students in science group and in language group six private schools, located within the outskirt of Durgapur) were analyzed.FindingsOut of six schools (A, B, C, D, E and F), A, E and F were found efficient; however, the proposed model identifies that out of them, only E and F remain cost efficient. The efficiency scores, due to cost, are very close to the outputs of other three accepted papers.Research limitations/implicationsThe input and output vectors have to be non-negative. In case of a negative input (output) set, separate treatment must be applied on them before the application of non-central PCA. Any decision-making unit (DMU) producing an output of 0 will prohibit the use of the non-central PCA.Practical implicationsIt can be applied to problems which may or may not be having the information regarding input price for detecting cost-efficient DMUs as in the case of the Banker’s model. Banker’s model remains inconclusive about the fact, whether a DMU is a mere cost leader or it is reigning in both fields. Present model does not have such limitations. Targets to remain cost efficient can be obtained for any competing DMU. Unlike the Banker’s model, the proposed one ascribes unequal weight to the cost of consumption to each resource. This weight vector is determined from the industrial practice. It remains unique in the sense that it relies on few intermediate input variables to measure the performance of a DMU. These variables are dependent on large number of other independent variables, which reflect the extent of its control on the resources to signify the strategic position of it. Moreover, the proposed model offers an ideal frontier of ultimate performers, which provides a very stringent benchmark based on constant return to scale for incorporating those renowned organizations, which operate in various places in West Bengal. However, it also offers lower limits of performance to the strongly efficient performers by using the goal-oriented data envelopment analysis for analyzing the problem on a local basis. The extended model, in addition, is worthy of carrying out SDEA operations.Social implicationsUnder the present scenario, a new model is proposed here to concentrate on the variation present in the market due to specific consumption of resources. All inputs are assumed scarce and desirable for the production of each output (Liu et al., 2010). Thus, a good cost-cutting performance occurs because of an economic use of resources while fulfilling the standards. Unlike Taguchi et al. (1989) and Taguchi (1991), a linear societal loss function, which is solely adhered to the resource consumption, is added here instead of a formal cost function.Originality/valueThe central theme of this paper is as follows: determination of technical efficiency scores for the schools; determination of economic efficiency (with partial information about price); identification of cost leaders and differentiation architects; to prescribe the model of a cost leader so that education can be imparted to a full potential; and to prescribe a non-central PCA and a slack-based optimization model. Superiority in the domain of cost leadership is decided based on the closeness of any DMU from this frontier.

Accurate ranking of influential spreaders in networks based on dynamically asymmetric link weights.

We propose an efficient and accurate measure for ranking spreaders and identifying the influential ones in spreading processes in networks. While the edges determine the connections among the nodes, their specific role in spreading should be considered explicitly. An edge connecting nodes and may differ in its importance for spreading from to and from to . The key issue is whether node , after infected by through the edge, would reach out to other nodes that itself could not reach directly. It becomes necessary to invoke two unequal weights and characterizing the importance of an edge according to the neighborhoods of nodes and . The total asymmetric directional weights originating from a node leads to a novel measure , which quantifies the impact of the node in spreading processes. An -shell decomposition scheme further assigns an -shell index or weighted coreness to the nodes. The effectiveness and accuracy of rankings based on and the weighted coreness are demonstrated by applying them to nine real-world networks. Results show that they generally outperform rankings based on the nodes' degree and -shell index while maintaining a low computational complexity. Our work represents a crucial step towards understanding and controlling the spread of diseases, rumors, information, trends, and innovations in networks.

Adiabatic generation of arbitrary coherent superpositions of two quantum states: Exact and approximate solutions

The common objective of the application of adiabatic techniques in the field of quantum control is to transfer a quantum system from one discrete energy state to another. These techniques feature both high efficiency and insensitivity to variations in the experimental parameters, e.g., variations in the driving field amplitude, duration, frequency, and shape, as well as fluctuations in the environment. Here we explore the potential of adiabatic techniques for creating arbitrary predefined coherent superpositions of two quantum states. We show that an equally weighted coherent superposition can be created by temporal variation of the ratio between the Rabi frequency $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}(t)$ and the detuning $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}(t)$ from 0 to $\ensuremath{\infty}$ (case 1) or vice versa (case 2), as it is readily deduced from the explicit adiabatic solution for the Bloch vector. We infer important differences between cases 1 and 2 in the composition of the created coherent superposition: The latter depends on the dynamical phase of the process in case 2, while it does not depend on this phase in case 1. Furthermore, an arbitrary coherent superposition of unequal weights can be created by using asymptotic ratios of $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}(t)/\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}(t)$ different from 0 and $\ensuremath{\infty}$. We supplement the general adiabatic solution with analytic solutions for three exactly soluble models: two trigonometric models and the hyperbolic Demkov-Kunike model. They allow us not only to demonstrate the general predictions in specific cases but also to derive the nonadiabatic corrections to the adiabatic solutions.