A bidirectional heuristic for maximizing the net present value of large‐scale projects subject to limited resources

We consider the scheduling of large‐scale projects to maximize the project net present value given temporal and resource constraints. The net present value objective emphasizes the financial aspects of project management. Temporal constraints between the start times of activities make it possible to handle practical problem assumptions. Scarce resources are an expression of rising cost. Since optimization techniques are not expedient to solve such problems and most heuristic methods known from literature cannot deal with general temporal constraints, we propose a new bidirectional priority‐rule based method. Scheduling activities with positive cash flows as early and activities with negative cash flows as late as possible results in a method which is completed by unscheduling techniques to cope with scarce resources. In a computational experiment, we compare the well‐known serial generation scheme where all activities are scheduled as early as possible with the proposed bidirectional approach. On the basis of a comprehensive data set known from literature containing instances with up to 1002 activities, the efficiency of the new approach is demonstrated. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2003     

重大活动防爆安全检查面临的困难及对策

重大活动防爆安全检查工作涉及的点多、线长、面广，内容十分广泛，参与部门较多，装备器材需求量大，防爆安全检查工作的计划、组织、指挥、协调、保障及具体检查实施将面临一定的困难。做好重大活动防爆安全检查工作．要建立高效顺畅的防爆安全检查指挥机构，制定切实可行的安检方案；要强化科技致胜的意识，进行有力的装备保障；要运用科学的方式方法，加强宣传沟通，争取群众的支持配合；要增强服务意识，缓和警卫形式。     

太赫兹雷达多声音信号活动检测技术

针对在环境中同时存在多个声源的场景下,传统声音获取方式难以正确检测到期望声源处声音活动的问题,提出一种基于太赫兹雷达的多声音信号活动检测方法,该方法利用太赫兹雷达波长短提升对于微小振动的探测灵敏度,同时利用大宽带所带来的高距离分辨力区分不同声源,在获得声音信号后进一步通过谱减-小波联合去噪方法提升信号质量用于后续声音信...     

Project scheduling under competition

We introduce and investigate the problem of scheduling activities of a project by a firm that competes with another firm (the competitor) that has to perform the same project. The profit that the firm gets from each activity depends on whether the firm finishes the activity before or after its competitor. The objective is to maximize the guaranteed (worst‐case) profit. We assume that both the firm and the competitor can perform only one activity at a time. We perform a detailed complexity analysis of the problem, and consider problems with and without precedence constraints, with and without delay of the competitor, with general and equal processing times of activities. For polynomially solvable cases (which include, for example, all the considered problems without delay of the competitor), we present easily implementable and intuitive rules that allow us to obtain optimal schedules in linear or almost linear time. For some NP‐hard cases, we present pseudopolynomial algorithms and fast heuristics with worst‐case approximation guarantees. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2005.     

Optimal project compression with due-dated events

The paper proposes an algorithm for the determination of the solution of the activities to be shortened and the amount by which they are to be shortened in order to minimize the total cost of project completion. This cost involves a linear penalty for tardienss of a set of key events and a linear cost of activity compression from its normal duration. The procedure is a generalization of the work of Fulkerson.     

城市饮用水水质安全分析

运用系统工程理论识别了影响我国城市饮用水水质安全的主要因素及其相对重要度,有针对性地探讨了城市饮用水水质安全保障的策略与措施。结果表明:尽管影响城市饮用水水质安全的因素众多,但最重要的行为主体是政府,关键的环节是水源保护。在建构城市饮用水水质安全保障体系时,各级政府应采取经济手段、行政手段等多种配套措施,既全面系统地考虑所有影响因素,又针对不同的时间和区域进行污染环节(尤其是水源保护)和污染物的重点控制。     

Analysis of a machine repair problem with an unreliable server and phase type repairs and services

In this paper we study a machine repair problem in which a single unreliable server maintains N identical machines. The breakdown times of the machines are assumed to follow an exponential distribution. The server is subject to failure and the failure times are exponentially distributed. The repair times of the machine and the service times of the repairman are assumed to be of phase type. Using matrix‐analytic methods, we perform steady state analysis of this model. The time spent by a failed machine in service and the total time in the repair facility are shown to be of phase type. Several performance measures are evaluated. An optimization problem to determine the number of machines to be assigned to the server that will maximize the expected total profit per unit time is discussed. An illustrative numerical example is presented. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 50: 462–480, 2003     

AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF SECURITY POLICIES

This paper analyses public policy choices in the security economy from an economic perspective. It discusses the role of public goods for national and global security and identifies the importance of the first‐ and second‐order indirect effects of insecurity on economic activity, which include the behavioural responses of agents and the government to security measures, akin to such effects in insurance economics. Furthermore, key public policy trade‐offs are outlined, in particular between security and efficiency, globalisation, equity and freedom. The analysis identifies suitable policy options for raising security in the national and international contexts and in view of these trade‐offs. A balance between market and non‐market instruments in achieving security should be aimed for in order to minimise the adverse effects of aiming for higher security. In addition, the public good nature of security implies that international coordination of security policies is important, despite this process being fraught with enforcement problems.     

Maximizing project cash availability

Consider a project during the life cycle of which there are cash payouts and in‐flows. To better meet his financial commitments, the project owner would like to meet all deadlines without running out of cash. We show that the cash availability objective is similar to the total weighted flowtime used to measure work‐in‐progress performance in the scheduling and inventory control literatures. In this article we provide several specialized solution methods for the problem of minimizing total weighted flowtime in an arbitrary acyclic project network, subject to activity release times and due dates, where the activity weights may be positive or negative and represent cash in‐ and out‐flows. We describe the structure of an optimal solution and provide several efficient algorithms and their complexity based on mincost and maxflow formulations. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2006     

Decentralized admission control of a queueing system: A game‐theoretic model

Consider a distributed system where many gatekeepers share a single server. Customers arrive at each gatekeeper according to independent Poisson processes with different rates. Upon arrival of a new customer, the gatekeeper has to decide whether to admit the customer by sending it to the server, or to block it. Blocking costs nothing. The gatekeeper receives a reward after a customer completes the service, and incurs a cost if an admitted customer finds a busy server and therefore has to leave the system. Assuming an exponential service distribution, we formulate the problem as an n‐person non‐zero‐sum game in which each gatekeeper is interested in maximizing its own long‐run average reward. The key result is that each gatekeeper's optimal policy is that of a threshold type regardless what other gatekeepers do. We then derive Nash equilibria and discuss interesting insights. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 50: 702–718, 2003.     

When is model complexity too much? Illustrating the benefits of simple models with Hughes' salvo equations

The simulations that many defense analysts rely upon in their studies continue to grow in size and complexity. This paper contrasts the guidance that the authors have received—from some of the giants of military operations research—with the current practice. In particular, the analytic utility of Hughes' simple salvo equations is compared with that of the complex Joint Warfighting System (JWARS), with respect to JWARS' key performance parameters. The comparison suggests that a family of analytic tools supports the best analyses. It follows that smaller, more agile, and transparent models, such as Hughes' salvo equations, are underutilized in defense analyses. We believe that these models should receive more attention, use, and funding. To illustrate this point, this paper uses two very simple models (by modern standards) to rapidly generate insights on the value of information relative to force strength. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2003     

【专题】基于装备试验数据的信息管理平台建设研究

装备试验数据作为装备制造产业的重要生产要素,对其管理的能力已成为企业应对创新发展机遇的重要竞争力。本文对装备试验数据进行概要介绍,并对试验数据结构及特点进行分析。同时,按照装备试验数据的保密管理原则,结合装备试验活动各阶段产生的数据类型,以及试验数据量大、种类多、处理速度快等特点,提出试验数据分级管理模型。在此基础上,从试验数据在装备履约、鉴定评估以及实际应用等管理需求出发,分析当前数据管理要求规范化、多源数据管理系统化以及分析工具综合化等数据管理中需要关注的问题,提出装备试验数据信息管理平台建设框架,深入分析管理平台的基础运行环境、数据采集与预处理、分布式存储、数据分析挖掘与应用等信息管理功能模块,旨在为进一步加强装备试验数据管理提供借鉴与参考。     

Word文件自动管理系统的设计和实现

论述了研制新型文档自动管理系统的原因及其重要性,给出了系统的软件结构和文档自动管理系统的部分设计界面.重点介绍了大文本的读写、Microsoft Word 的控制、Word的感知、套打、数据库的连接等主要技术难点,使系统能够存放文档文件的所有信息,按权限管理,保证文档文件在查询和网络传递中操作简单、安全可靠.     

Stochastic modeling for computational warranty analysis

We examine two key stochastic processes of interest for warranty modeling: (1) remaining total warranty coverage time exposure and (2) warranty load (total items under warranty at time t). Integral equations suitable for numerical computation are developed to yield probability law for these warranty measures. These two warranty measures permit warranty managers to better understand time‐dependent warranty behavior, and thus better manage warranty cash reserves. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2005.     

Local search methods for the discrete time/resource trade-off problem in project networks

In this paper we consider the discrete time/resource trade-off problem in project networks. Given a project network consisting of nodes (activities) and arcs (technological precedence relations), in which the duration of the activities is a discrete, nonincreasing function of the amount of a single renewable resource committed to it, the discrete time/resource trade-off problem minimizes the project makespan subject to precedence constraints and a single renewable resource constraint. For each activity, a work content is specified such that all execution modes (duration/resource requirement pairs) for performing the activity are allowed as long as the product of the duration and the resource requirement is at least as large as the specified work content. We present a tabu search procedure which is based on a decomposition of the problem into a mode assignment phase and a resource-constrained project scheduling phase with fixed mode assignments. Extensive computational experience, including a comparison with other local search methods, is reported. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 45: 553–578, 1998     

The payment scheduling problem

Large complicated projects with interdependent activities can be described by project networks. Arcs represent activities, nodes represent events, and the network's structure defines the relation between activities and events. A schedule associates an occurrence time with each event: the project can be scheduled in several different ways. We assume that a known amount of cash changes hands at each event. Given any schedule the present value of all cash transactions can be calculated. The payment scheduling problem looks for a schedule that maximizes the present value of all transactions. This problem was first introduced by Russell [2]; it is a nonlinear program with linear constraints and a nonconcave objective. This paper demonstrates that the payment scheduling problem can be transformed into an equivalent linear program. The linear program has the structure of a weighted distribution problem and an efficient procedure is presented for its solution. The algorithm requires the solution of triangular systems of equations with all matrix coefficients equal to ± or 0.     

Optimal retail assortments for substitutable items purchased in sets

We consider the problem of optimizing assortments in a multi‐item retail inventory system. In addition to the usual holding and stockout costs, there is a fixed cost for including any item in the assortment. Customers' preferences for items include both probabilistic substitution patterns and the desire to purchase sets of complementary items. We develop a demand model to capture this behavior, and derive tractable approximations that allow us to formulate the optimization problem as a 0–1 mixed integer linear program. Numerical examples are solved to illustrate key insights into how both complementary and substitute items affect the optimal assortment and the expected profit. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 50: 793–822, 2003.     

Dynamic order acceptance and capacity planning on a single bottleneck resource

We present a tactical decision model for order acceptance and capacity planning that maximizes the expected profits from accepted orders, allowing for aggregate regular as well as nonregular capacity. The stream of incoming order arrivals is the main source of uncertainty in dynamic order acceptance and the company only has forecasts of the main properties of the future incoming projects. Project proposals arrive sequentially with deterministic interarrival times and a decision on order acceptance and capacity planning needs to be made each time a proposal arrives and its project characteristics are revealed. We apply stochastic dynamic programming to determine a profit threshold for the accept/reject decision as well as to deterministically allocate a single bottleneck resource to the accepted projects, both with an eye on maximizing the expected revenues within the problem horizon. We derive a number of managerial insights based on an analysis of the influence of project and environmental characteristics on optimal project selection and aggregate capacity usage. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007     

针栓喷管技术在固体姿轨控系统中的应用研究

论述了针栓喷管技术在固体姿轨控系统中的应用,研究了针栓喷管的技术途径,防热材料选择,针栓驱动方案选择,针栓结构设计,以及多喷管系统的推力管理方案.并对在不同压强和针栓位置情况下的内流场数值模拟,最后提出针栓喷管在姿轨控系统中应用的关键技术和发展方向.     

基于规则的动态频谱接入研究

动态频谱接入面临的关键技术之一是对接入时机和方式进行有效地管控,防止由于频谱的接入使用过于灵活造成用频的干扰和混乱。将频谱接入的时间和方式给予规则上的约束和指导,基于规则构建动态频谱管理框架可以有效实现频谱的实时管控。对动态频谱接入的规则及表述方式进行了讨论,分析了基于规则的动态频谱接入过程,最后结合美军XG项目的试验结果分析了基于规则的动态频谱接入的应用前景。