A branch‐and‐price approach for the stochastic generalized assignment problem

In this article, we address a stochastic generalized assignment machine scheduling problem in which the processing times of jobs are assumed to be random variables. We develop a branch‐and‐price (B&P) approach for solving this problem wherein the pricing problem is separable with respect to each machine, and has the structure of a multidimensional knapsack problem. In addition, we explore two other extensions of this method—one that utilizes a dual‐stabilization technique and another that incorporates an advanced‐start procedure to obtain an initial feasible solution. We compare the performance of these methods with that of the branch‐and‐cut (B&C) method within CPLEX. Our results show that all B&P‐based approaches perform better than the B&C method, with the best performance obtained for the B&P procedure that includes both the extensions aforementioned. We also utilize a Monte Carlo method within the B&P scheme, which affords the use of a small subset of scenarios at a time to estimate the “true” optimal objective function value. Our experimental investigation reveals that this approach readily yields solutions lying within 5% of optimality, while providing more than a 10‐fold savings in CPU times in comparison with the best of the other proposed B&P procedures. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 61: 131–143, 2014     

DEFENSIVE COUNTERTERRORISM MEASURES AND DOMESTIC POLITICS

Unlike most of the literature, this paper includes domestic political considerations in which two countries must decide defensive countermeasures against a common terrorist threat. A delegation problem arises as voters strategically choose a policymaker whose preferences differ from their own. As a consequence, countries limit the presumed oversupply of defensive countermeasures. Thus, the inclusion of domestic politics gives a new perspective on counterterrorism. The timing of elections is also shown to make a difference.     

THE MORAL PERMISSIBILITY OF AUTOMATED RESPONSES DURING CYBERWARFARE

Automated responses are an inevitable aspect of cyberwarfare, but there has not been a systematic treatment of the conditions in which they are morally permissible. We argue that there are three substantial barriers to the moral permissibility of an automated response: the attribution, chain reaction, and projection bias problems. Moreover, these three challenges together provide a set of operational tests that can be used to assess the moral permissibility of a particular automated response in a specific situation. Defensive automated responses will almost always pass all three challenges, while offensive automated responses typically face a substantial positive burden in order to overcome the chain reaction and projection bias challenges. Perhaps the most interesting cases arise in the middle ground between cyber-offense and cyber-defense, such as automated cyber-exploitation responses. In those situations, much depends on the finer details of the response, the context, and the adversary. Importantly, however, the operationalizations of the three challenges provide a clear guide for decision-makers to assess the moral permissibility of automated responses that could potentially be implemented.     

Limiting behavior of the stochastic sequential assignment problem

The stochastic sequential assignment problem (SSAP) considers how to allocate available distinct workers to sequentially arriving tasks with stochastic parameters such that the expected total reward obtained from the sequential assignments is maximized. Implementing the optimal assignment policy for the SSAP involves calculating a new set of breakpoints upon the arrival of each task (i.e., for every time period), which is impractical for large‐scale problems. This article studies two problems that are concerned with obtaining stationary policies, which achieve the optimal expected reward per task as the number of tasks approaches infinity. The first problem considers independent and identically distributed (IID) tasks with a known distribution function, whereas in the second problem tasks are derived from r different unobservable distributions governed by an ergodic Markov chain. The convergence rate of the expected reward per task to the optimal value is also obtained for both problems. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2013     

大学英语课堂教学存在的主要问题及应对策略

课堂是学员语言学习实践的重要场所,无论科技怎样发展,教学如何改革,英语课堂教学仍有不可替代的作用。通过调查研究和教学实践发现,武警初级院校的大学英语课堂活力不足,学员学习热情不高。针对这一现象进行原因分析和探究,找到了激活英语课堂气氛的应对策略,便于指导教学实践。     

基于改进TOPSIS法和蚁群算法的反TBM目标群目标分配研究

基于改进的TOPSIS法和蚁群算法,以弹道导弹目标群为研究对象,研究了反导指控系统对目标群的目标分配问题。首先通过改进的TOPSIS法确定TBM目标群威胁排序并基于拦截排序准则确定拦截排序;其次使作战效能最大化,基于蚁群算法确定目标的最优分配方案;最后通过仿真实例验证了在考虑目标威胁值排序前提下采用此算法,可使目标群分配方案更加科学有效和符合反导作战实际。     

基于改进TOPSIS法和蚁群算法的反TBM 目标群目标分配研究*

基于改进的TOPSIS法和蚁群算法,以弹道导弹目标群为研究对象,研究了反导指控系统对目标群的目标分配问题。首先通过改进的TOPSIS法确定TBM目标群威胁排序并基于拦截排序准则确定拦截排序;其次使作战效能最大化,基于蚁群算法确定目标的最优分配方案;最后通过仿真实例验证了在考虑目标威胁值排序前提下采用此算法,可使目标群分配方案更加科学有效和符合反导作战实际。     

二次型极小化问题带误差的迭代算法

证明了二次型极小化问题带误差的迭代算法的有效性,所得结果推广了关于二次型极小化问题迭代的收敛性。     

中继卫星调度问题的CSP模型

中继卫星在地球同步静止轨道上运行,既能直视中、低轨道用户航天器,又能直视地面站,是沟通用户航天器与地面站的桥梁。中继卫星调度问题是一类非常重要的调度问题。基于约束满足理论,通过分析中继卫星调度问题的特点与约束条件,建立了中继卫星调度问题的CSP模型。利用卫星工具箱STK进行模拟仿真,对CSP模型进行了求解。结果表明,所建立的CSP模型是合理的。     

应用D-S证据理论进行多传感器雷达体制识别

在阐述Dempster-Shafer(D-S)证据理论的基础上,较系统地论述了基于D-S证据理论的多传感器雷达体制识别的数据融合方法,并给出了具体的识别实例。实验结果证明了基于多传感器融合后的识别结果明显优于单传感器的识别结果,说明了D-S证据理论的有效性和先进性。