Abstract
In this paper, we consider the single machine scheduling problem with weighted quadratic tardiness costs. Several efficient dispatching rules are proposed. These include existing heuristics for the linear problem, as well as procedures suitably adapted to the quadratic objective function. Also, both forward and backward scheduling procedures are considered. The computational results show that the heuristics that specifically take into account the quadratic objective significantly outperform their linear counterparts. Also, the backward scheduling approach proves to be superior, and the difference in performance is even more noticeable for the harder instances. The best of the backward scheduling heuristics is both quite efficient and effective. Indeed, this procedure can quickly generate a schedule even for large instances. Also, its relative deviation from the optimum is usually rather low, and it performs adequately even for the more difficult instances.

Abstract
In this paper we propose an audio beat tracking system, IBT, for multiple applications. The proposed system integrates an automatic monitoring and state recovery mechanism, that applies (re-)inductions of tempo and beats, on a multi-agent-based beat tracking architecture. This system sequentially processes a continuous onset detection function while propagating parallel hypotheses of tempo and beats. Beats can be predicted in a causal or in a non-causal usage mode, which makes the system suitable for diverse applications. We evaluate the performance of the system in both modes on two application scenarios: standard (using a relatively large database of audio clips) and streaming (using long audio streams made up of concatenated clips). We show experimental evidence of the usefulness of the automatic monitoring and state recovery mechanism in the streaming scenario (i.e., improvements in beat tracking accuracy and reaction time). We also show that the system performs efficiently and at a level comparable to state-of-the-art algorithms in the standard scenario. IBT is multi-platform, open-source and freely available, and it includes plugins for different popular audio analysis, synthesis and visualization platforms.

Abstract
Generically, search engines fail to understand the user's temporal intents when expressed as implicit temporal queries. This causes the retrieval of less relevant information and prevents users from being aware of the possible temporal dimension of the query results. In this paper, we aim to develop a language-independent model that tackles the temporal dimensions of a query and identifies its most relevant time periods. For this purpose, we propose a temporal similarity measure capable of associating a relevant date(s) to a given query and filtering out irrelevant ones. Our approach is based on the exploitation of temporal information from web content, particularly within the set of k-top retrieved web snippets returned in response to a query. We particularly focus on extracting years, which are a kind of temporal information that often appears in this type of collection. We evaluate our methodology using a set of real-world text temporal queries, which are clear concepts (i.e. queries which are non-ambiguous in concept and temporal in their purpose). Experiments show that when compared to baseline methods, determining the most relevant dates relating to any given implicit temporal query can be improved with a new temporal similarity measure. © 2012 ACM.

Abstract
This paper describes a set of mathematical formulations designed to include uncertainties modeled by fuzzy numbers in DC OPF studies. These approaches enhance and generalize an initial formulation and solution algorithm described in several papers co-authored by the second author. The approaches described in this paper adopt multiparametric optimization techniques in order to translate to the results the uncertainties affecting loads, for one side, the generation costs, for another, and also both of them in a simultaneous way. These approaches can be very useful nowadays given the uncertainties and volatility affecting data required to run several studies. They can also be the basis for the computation of nodal short time marginal prices reflecting these uncertainties. This paper also includes results obtained from a Case Study based on the IEEE 24 bus test system.

Abstract
It has been reported that ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3-PbTiO3 (PMNT) thin films, with compositions close to the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), show lower values than those reported for bulk ceramics with the same composition, which has been attributed to a reduction of the remnant polarization caused by the small size of the grains in the films. An alternative has been proposed to take full advantage of the excellent piezoelectric properties of polycrystalline PMNT in thin film form: a multilayer configuration that uses ferroelectric layers with large remnant polarization, in this case PbTiO3, to generate an internal electric bias within the PMNT layers and, thus, anchor an induced polarization on them, resulting in a consequent large piezoelectric behavior. The detailed study of the properties of these multilayer composite films reveals the complex correlations that arise in these heterostructures, which are key for the design of optimized piezoelectric films based on MPB PMNT.

Abstract
This paper considers a problem in which there is a set of jobs to be sequenced on a single machine. Each job has a weight and the objective is to sequence the jobs to minimize total weighted squared tardiness. A branch-and-bound algorithm is developed for optimally solving the problem. Several dominance conditions are presented for possible inclusion in the branch-and-bound algorithm. The dominance conditions are included in the branch-and-bound algorithm, which is tested on randomly generated problems of various numbers of jobs, due date tightness and due date ranges. The results show that the dominance conditions dramatically improve the efficiency of the branch-and-bound algorithm.