We introduce BubbleSearch, a general approach for extending priority-based greedy heuristics. Following the framework recently developed by Borodin et al., we consider priority algorithms, which sequentially assign values to elements in some fixed or adaptively determined order. BubbleSearch extends priority algorithms by selectively considering additional orders near an initial good ordering. ...

Quark mass corrections to the τ hadronic width play a significant role only for the strange quark, hence providing a method for determining its mass. The experimental input is the vector plus axial-vector strange spectral function derived from a complete study of tau decays into strange hadronic final states performed by ALEPH. New results on strange decay modes from other experiments are also ...

This paper explores the relationship between a firm’s investments in ‘capability building’, and its prospects for survival. The analysis is carried out using a model of Knightian uncertainty which differs from the standard ‘subjective probability’ approaches in a number of fundamental respects. ∗ Walras-Bowley Lecture, Econometric Society, 2004. This lecture was subsequently presented at the UC...

A deep inerastic scattering process µN → τ X is discussed to study lepton flavor violation between muons and tau leptons. In supersymmetric models, the Higgs boson mediated diagrams could be important for this reaction. We find that at a muon energy (Eµ) higher than 50 GeV, the predicted cross section significantly increases due to the contribution from sea b-quarks. The number of produced tau ...

ii Acknowledgements xii

A pair of linear orders L, L′ on an n-element set V is a concordance pair if the Kendall and Spearman correlation measures between L and L′ coincide. A graph is called concordance graph if it has the same number of induced three-vertex one-edged subgraphs as induced three-vertex twoedged subgraphs. It is known (see Fishburn and Monjardet (2000)) that (L, L′) is a concordance pair if and only if...

Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) theory is an accurate model for strong adhesion energies of soft slightly deformable material. Little is known about the validity of this theory on complex systems such as living cells. We have addressed this problem using a depletion controlled cell adhesion and measured the force necessary to separate the cells with a micropipette technique. We show that the cyto...