ii he gave me in this research period and for the interesting topic he proposed me: the design of exact exponential algorithms for scheduling problems. I was enthusiastic to work on such a theoretical field, and it was really rewarding to obtain some results. In the months spent in Tours, Lei was an excellent research partner and a very good friend. I learned a lot from him and I feel honestly indebted. I want to thank all the other members of the ALCO group at Politecnico di Torino, in

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... ar Marco Ghirardi, Fabio Salassa and Rosario Scatamacchia. Thanks for their support and help to all the colleagues and friends I met in the labs at Torino, Ghent and Tours, among which: Luca,