Optimal job splitting on a multi‐slot machine with applications in the printing industry

In this article, we define a scheduling/packing problem called the Job Splitting Problem, motivated by the practices in the printing industry. There are n types of items to be produced on an m‐slot machine. A particular assignment of the types to the slots is called a “run” configuration and requires a setup cost. Once a run begins, the production continues according to that configuration and the “length” of the run represents the quantity produced in each slot during that run. For each unit of production in excess of demand, there is a waste cost. Our goal is to construct a production plan, i.e., a set of runs, such that the total setup and waste cost is minimized. We show that the problem is strongly NP‐hard and propose two integer programming formulations, several preprocessing steps, and two heuristics. We also provide a worst‐case bound for one of the heuristics. Extensive tests on real‐world and randomly generated instances show that the heuristics are both fast and effective, finding near‐optimal solutions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2010     

Discrete‐time analysis of MAP/PH/1 multiclass general preemptive priority queue

We use the matrix‐geometric method to study the MAP/PH/1 general preemptive priority queue with a multiple class of jobs. A procedure for obtaining the block matrices representing the transition matrix P is presented. We show that the special upper triangular structure of the matrix R obtained by Miller [Computation of steady‐state probabilities for M/M/1 priority queues, Oper Res 29(5) (1981), 945–958] can be extended to an upper triangular block structure. Moreover, the subblock matrices of matrix R also have such a structure. With this special structure, we develop a procedure to compute the matrix R. After obtaining the stationary distribution of the system, we study two primary performance indices, namely, the distributions of the number of jobs of each type in the system and their waiting times. Although most of our analysis is carried out for the case of K = 3, the developed approach is general enough to study the other cases (K ≥ 4). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 50: 662–682, 2003.     

漂浮式微型波力发电装置原理与结构

为了满足偏远岛屿小功率用电保障需求,根据波浪能特点,提出一种新型漂浮式微型波力发电装置。利用重锤惯性定心原理,建立浮动"机架",解决漂浮体内部相对固定问题;采用机-电直接转换系统,提高波浪能的利用效率;研究系统的原理与结构,分析系统的功能特点和主要运动参数。研究结果表明,漂浮式微型波力发电装置具有结构原理新颖、传动效率高、传动质量好与轻巧便携等优点。该研究为漂浮式微型波力发电装置的研发与应用奠定了基础。     

新型装备概念设计FBS模型研究

概念设计是新型装备设计过程中最富创造性的阶段,其根本目的就是要创新装备,以满足使用主体的功能需求.因此,研究和实现新型装备的功能是其概念设计的核心问题,对提高新型装备设计的创新性和高效性,降低装备成本和提高竞争力,具有非常重要的理论意义和现实意义.在借鉴国内外相关研究成果的基础上,将新型装备的功能特征、行为特征和结构特征结合起来,提出一种新型装备概念设计的FBS模型,并给出具体的实施步骤和应用实例,可以为新型装备概念设计提供一种新的研究途径.     

U型钢板桩施工的滑坡动态勘察技术及数值模拟

为节省边(滑)坡灾害的应急加固时间,提高边(滑)坡处置的效率和质量,针对边(滑)坡在勘察阶段提出了基于U型钢板桩施工的动态勘察技术,即在静压植桩机压入U型钢板桩的同时,利用与其配套的压入管理系统设备与软件对压桩数据进行监测和分析,从而反馈出地层强度等信息。数值模拟中,为了能利用工程中所得压桩阻力图谱来反推地层信息,归纳总结了不同土体在桩压入时的应力云图和压桩阻力规律。结果表明:压桩阻力规律与地层信息之间存在对应关系,据此可判断地层强度特征等信息,数值模拟也为后续的现场试验研究提供了依据。     

Efficient algorithms for flexible job shop scheduling with parallel machines

Job shop scheduling with a bank of machines in parallel is important from both theoretical and practical points of view. Herein we focus on the scheduling problem of minimizing the makespan in a flexible two-center job shop. The first center consists of one machine and the second has k parallel machines. An easy-to-perform approximate algorithm for minimizing the makespan with one-unit-time operations in the first center and k-unit-time operations in the second center is proposed. The algorithm has the absolute worst-case error bound of k − 1 , and thus for k = 1 it is optimal. Importantly, it runs in linear time and its error bound is independent of the number of jobs to be processed. Moreover, the algorithm can be modified to give an optimal schedule for k = 2 .     

Complexity and workload considerations in product mix decisions under the theory of constraints

The literature on the product mix decision (or master production scheduling) under the Theory of Constraints (TOC), which was developed in the past two decades, has addressed this problem as a static operational decision. Consequently, the developed solution techniques do not consider the system's dynamism and the associated challenges arising from the complexity of operations during the implementation of master production schedules. This paper aims to address this gap by developing a new heuristic approach for master production scheduling under the TOC philosophy that considers the main operational factors that influence actual throughput after implementation of the detailed schedule. We examine the validity of the proposed heuristic by comparison to Integer Linear Programming and two heuristics in a wide range of scenarios using simulation modelling. Statistical analyses indicate that the new algorithm leads to significantly enhanced performance during implementation for problems with setup times. The findings show that the bottleneck identification approach in current methods in the TOC literature is not effective and accurate for complex operations in real‐world job shop systems. This study contributes to the literature on master production scheduling and product mix decisions by enhancing the likelihood of achieving anticipated throughput during the implementation of the detailed schedule. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 62: 357–369, 2015     

高校辅导员职业倦怠成因及干预策略

高校辅导员是开展大学生思想政治工作的骨干力量,是大学生思想政治教育和管理工作的组织者、实施者和指导者,其多重角色决定了辅导员工作的复杂性和艰巨性。多数调查表明,高校辅导员工作劳累导致成就感甚微,多数辅导员在工作中出现职业倦怠。本文结合辅导员的工作职责和工作环境,对高校辅导员职业倦怠成因及干预策略进行探讨。     

Scheduling recurrent construction

A problem we call recurrent construction involves manufacturing large, complex, expensive products such as airplanes, houses, and ships. Customers order configurations of these products well in advance of due dates for delivery. Early delivery may not be permitted. How should the manufacturer determine when to purchase and release materials before fabrication, assembly, and delivery? Major material expenses, significant penalties for deliveries beyond due dates, and long product makespans in recurrent construction motivate choosing a release timetable that maximizes the net present value of cash flows. Our heuristic first projects an initial schedule that dispatches worker teams to tasks for the backlogged products, and then solves a series of maximal closure problems to find material release times that maximize NPV. This method compares favorably with other well‐known work release heuristics in solution quality for large problems over a wide range of operating conditions, including order strength, cost structure, utilization level, batch policy, and uncertainty level. Computation times exhibit near linear growth in problem size. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2004     

Sojourn times in a two‐stage queueing network with blocking

The model considered in this paper involves a tandem queue consisting of a sequence of two waiting lines. The main feature of our model is blocking, i.e., as soon as the second waiting line reaches a certain upper limit, the first line is blocked. The input of units to the tandem queue is the MAP (Markovian arrival process), and service requirements are of phase type. Our objective is to study the sojourn time distribution under the first‐come‐first‐serve discipline by analyzing the sojourn time through times until absorption in appropriately defined quasi‐birth‐and‐death processes and continuous‐time Markov chains. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2004