Using stochastic programming to solve an outpatient appointment scheduling problem with random service and arrival times

We study a stochastic outpatient appointment scheduling problem (SOASP) in which we need to design a schedule and an adaptive rescheduling (i.e., resequencing or declining) policy for a set of patients. Each patient has a known type and associated probability distributions of random service duration and random arrival time. Finding a provably optimal solution to this problem requires solving a multistage stochastic mixed‐integer program (MSMIP) with a schedule optimization problem solved at each stage, determining the optimal rescheduling policy over the various random service durations and arrival times. In recognition that this MSMIP is intractable, we first consider a two‐stage model (TSM) that relaxes the nonanticipativity constraints of MSMIP and so yields a lower bound. Second, we derive a set of valid inequalities to strengthen and improve the solvability of the TSM formulation. Third, we obtain an upper bound for the MSMIP by solving the TSM under the feasible (and easily implementable) appointment order (AO) policy, which requires that patients are served in the order of their scheduled appointments, independent of their actual arrival times. Fourth, we propose a Monte Carlo approach to evaluate the relative gap between the MSMIP upper and lower bounds. Finally, in a series of numerical experiments, we show that these two bounds are very close in a wide range of SOASP instances, demonstrating the near‐optimality of the AO policy. We also identify parameter settings that result in a large gap in between these two bounds. Accordingly, we propose an alternative policy based on neighbor‐swapping. We demonstrate that this alternative policy leads to a much tighter upper bound and significantly shrinks the gap.     

重力势能锁止型外骨骼设计及其效能评价

现存的被动式外骨骼存在助力效果不明显等缺陷。基于人体步态特征,提出了将人体行走过程中的重力势能转化为人体抬腿过程中动能的原理,通过弹簧、曲柄滑块机构、棘轮棘爪机构以及链传动机构的组合,设计了一款被动式下肢机械外骨骼,并通过外骨骼动力学分析和生理消耗指数实验测试的方法进行了外骨骼性能评价。动力学分析结果表明,穿戴外骨骼后髋关节峰力矩总量降低了23.43%,髋关节做功总量降低了30.59%,初步验证了外骨骼的有效性。生理消耗指数实验测试结果表明, 穿戴外骨骼对于短距离动作转换未产生显著效果,但在长距离行走和上坡行走中分别降低了8.1%和10.4%的能量消耗。因此,该下肢外骨骼助力性能得到了验证,为相关领域的研究提供了实例化参考。     

MF-CFI: A fused evaluation index for camouflage patterns based on human visual perception

The evaluation index of camouflage patterns is important in the field of military application. It is the goal that researchers have always pursued to make the computable evaluation indicators more in line with the human visual mechanism. In order to make the evaluation method more computationally intelligent, a Multi-Feature Camouflage Fused Index (MF-CFI) is proposed based on the comparison of grayscale, color and texture features between the target and the background. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed index, eye movement experiments are conducted to compare the proposed index with existing indexes including Universal Image Quality Index (UIQI), Camouflage Similarity Index (CSI) and Structural Similarity (SSIM). Twenty-four different simulated targets are designed in a grassland background, 28 observers participate in the experiment and record the eye movement data during the observation process. The results show that the highest Pearson correlation coefficient is observed between MF-CFI and the eye movement data, both in the designed digital camouflage patterns and large-spot camouflage patterns. Since MF-CFI is more in line with the detection law of camouflage targets in human visual perception, the proposed index can be used for the comparison and parameter optimization of camouflage design algorithms.     

自适应二阶滑模的有限时间收敛角度约束制导律

针对终端角度约束制导问题,提出了一种新型基于自适应二阶滑模的有限时间收敛角度约束制导律.构建非奇异有限时间收敛滑模面,保证了滑模面上角度及角速率误差有限时间快速收敛.采用参数自适应二阶滑模算法构建角度约束制导律,所设计的制导律不仅可抑制目标机动加速度等未知干扰,而且可确保滑模面的有限时间可达.相比采用传统二阶滑模或者含有切换项的滑模制导律,所提出的制导律参数可自适应变化,从而无需提前已知目标加速度等不确定项的上界信息.在各种目标机动情况下仿真,结果表明所设计的制导律具有强自适应以及快速收敛的制导性能.     

Irreversible demagnetization mechanism of permanent magnets during electromagnetic buffering

The permanent magnets will be irreversibly demagnetized under high temperature and high velocity during the electromagnetic buffering. In this study, the magnetic field induced by eddy currents and the self-demagnetizing field of permanent magnet are taken into consideration together for demagnetiza-tion analyse. The magnetic Reynolds number is used to express the eddy currents demagnetization. The correction coefficient being expressed as the index of the air-gap width, the inner cylinder thickness, iron pole axial length and the permanent magnet demagnetization coefficient is introduced by magnetic path analysis to represent the self-demagnetization effect and the demagnetization extent. The electromag-netic buffer (EMB) prototype is tested under intensive impact loads of different strengths at room temperature. The accuracy of the nonlinear irreversible demagnetization finite element model is verified by demagnetization on damping force, velocity and displacement. Finally, high-velocity demagnetization and high-temperature demagnetization are analysed in order to obtain the distribution law of irre-versible demagnetization.     

Numerical simulation study on penetration performance of depleted Uranium (DU) alloy fragments

Due to its high strength, high density, high hardness and good penetration capabilities, Depleted ura-nium alloys have already shined in armor-piercing projectiles. There should also be a lot of room for improvement in the application of fragment killing elements. Therefore, regarding the performance of the depleted uranium alloy to penetrate the target plate, further investigation is needed to analyze its advantages and disadvantages compared to tungsten alloy. To study the difference in penetration per-formance between depleted uranium alloy and tungsten alloy fragments,firstly, a theoretical analysis of the adiabatic shear sensitivity of DU and tungsten alloys was given from the perspective of material constitutive model. Then, taking the cylindrical fragment penetration target as the research object, the penetration process and velocity characteristics of the steel target plates penetrated by DU alloy frag-ment and tungsten alloy fragment were compared and analyzed, by using finite element software ANSYS/LS-DYNA and Lagrange algorithm. Lastly, the influence of different postures when impacting target and different fragment shapes on the penetration results is carried out in the research. The results show that in the penetration process of the DU and tungsten alloy fragments, the self-sharpening properties of the DU alloy can make the fragment head sharper and the penetrating ability enhance. Under the same conditions, the penetration capability of cylindrical fragment impacting target in vertical posture is better than that in horizontal posture, and the penetration capability of the spherical fragment is slightly better than that of cylindrical fragment.     

Nitro-tetrazole based high performing explosives: Recent overview of synthesis and energetic properties

Heterocyclic skeleton (Azoles) and different energetic groups containing high performing explosives are highly emerged in recent years to meet the challenging requirements of energetic materials in both military and civilian applications with improved performance. For this purpose tetrazole (Azole) is identified as an attractive heterocyclic backbone with energetic functional groups nitro (-NO₂), nitrato (-ONO₂), nitrimino (-NNO₂), and nitramino (–NH–NO₂) to replace the traditionally used high performing explosives. The tetrazole based compounds having these energetic functional groups demonstrated advanced energetic performance (detonation velocity and pressure), densities, and heat of formation (HOF) and became a potential replacement of traditional energetic compounds such as RDX. This review presents a summary of the recently reported nitro-tetrazole energetic compounds containing poly-nitro, di/mono-nitro, nitrato/nitramino/nitrimino, bridged/bis/di tetrazole and nitro functional groups, describing their preparation methods, advance energetic properties, and further applications as high-performing explosives, especially those reported in the last decade. This review aims to provide a fresh concept for designing nitro-tetrazole based high performing explosives together with major challenges and perspectives.     

Prediction of three-dimensional elastic behavior of filament-wound composites based on the bridging model

This work provides a method to predict the three-dimensional equivalent elastic properties of the filament-wound composites based on the multi-scale homogenization principle.In the meso-scale,a representative volume element(RVE)is defined and the bridging model is adopted to establish a theoretical predictive model for its three-dimensional equivalent elastic constants.The results obtained through this method for the previous experimental model are compared with the ones gained respec-tively by experiments and classical laminate theory to verify the reliability of this model.In addition,the effects of some winding parameters,such as winding angle,on the equivalent elastic behavior of the filament-wound composites are analyzed.The rules gained can provide a theoretical reference for the optimum design of filament-wound composites.     

次声波技术与心理战应用

次声波是一种频率变化范围在10?4 Hz～20 Hz之间的声波,它具有穿透力强、传输距离远以及不易被吸收的特点,以此制造的次声波武器伤人但不毁物。近年来,随着高新技术的不断发展,次声波武器在心理战领域得到了广泛应用。本文首先对次声波技术及次声波武器的概念进行了简要介绍;其次,研究了次声波的生物学效应,分析了次声波频率、声压强度以及作用时间与生物学效应的关系,发现三种次声波的作用参数与生物学效应之间的关系虽然错综复杂,但也有一定规律可循;最后,提出了次声波武器在心理战的三个潜在应用前景,即利用次声波穿透力强的特点发展对掩体人员作战的心理战装备、利用次声波的生物学效应发展反恐作战的心理战装备以及利用次声波的生理致伤机理发展心理战防护装备。     

Visual SLAM in dynamic environments based on object detection

A great number of visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM) systems need to assume static features in the environment. However, moving objects can vastly impair the performance of a VSLAM system which relies on the static-world assumption. To cope with this challenging topic, a real-time and robust VSLAM system based on ORB-SLAM2 for dynamic environments was proposed. To reduce the influence of dynamic content, we incorporate the deep-learning-based object detection method in the visual odometry, then the dynamic object probability model is added to raise the efficiency of object detection deep neural network and enhance the real-time performance of our system. Experiment with both on the TUM and KITTI benchmark dataset, as well as in a real-world environment, the results clarify that our method can significantly reduce the tracking error or drift, enhance the robustness, accuracy and stability of the VSLAM system in dynamic scenes.