A nonparametric Bayes approach to decide system burn-in time

Burn-in is the preconditioning of assemblies and the accelerated power-on tests performed on equipment subject to temperature, vibration, voltage, radiation, load, corrosion, and humidity. Burn-in techniques are widely applied to integrated circuits (IC) to enhance the component and system reliability. However, reliability prediction by burn-in at the component level, such as the one using the military (e.g., MIL-STD-280A, 756B, 217E [23–25]) and the industrial standards (e.g., the JEDEC standards), is usually not consistent with the field observations. Here, we propose system burn-in, which can remove many of the residual defects left from component and subsystem burn-in (Chien and Kuo [6]). A nonparametric model is considered because 1) the system configuration is usually very complicated, 2) the components in the system have different failure mechanisms, and 3) there is no good model for modeling incompatibility among components and subsystems (Chien and Kuo [5]; Kuo [16]). Since the cost of testing a system is high and, thus, only small samples are available, a Bayesian nonparametric approach is proposed to determine the system burn-in time. A case study using the proposed approach on MCM ASIC's shows that our model can be applied in the cases where 1) the tests and the samples are expensive, and 2) the records of previous generation of the products can provide information on the failure rate of the system under investigation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 44: 655–671, 1997     

Algorithms for computing waiting time distributions under different queue disciplines for the D-BMAP/PH/1

A queueing system characterized by the discrete batch Markovian arrival process (D-BMAP) and a probability of phase type distribution for the service time is one that arises frequently in the area of telecommunications. Under this arrival process and service time distribution we derive the waiting time distribution for three queue disciplines: first in first out (FIFO), last in first out (LIFO), and service in random order (SIRO). We also outline efficient algorithmic procedures for computing the waiting time distributions under each discipline. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 44: 559–576, 1997     

Stage life testing

In progressive censoring, items are removed at certain times during the life test. Commonly, it is assumed that the removed items are used for further testing. In order to take into account information about these additional testing in inferential procedures, we propose a two‐step model of stage life testing with one fixed stage‐change time which incorporates information about both the removed items (further tested under different conditions) and those remaining in the current life test. We show that some marginal distributions in our model correspond either to progressive censoring with a fixed censoring time or to a simple‐step stress model. Furthermore, assuming a cumulative exposure model, we establish exact inferential results for the distribution parameters when the lifetimes are exponentially distributed. An extension to Weibull distributed lifetimes is also discussed.     

Insurgent courts in civil wars: the three pathways of (trans)formation in today’s Syria (2012–2017)

As part of research on the meso-foundations of conflict, the field of ‘rebel governance’ examines political institutions that regulate the affairs of civilians in wartime as well as their relations with armed actors. Judicial institutions play an important role in this and research has shown that they are widespread among both historical and current insurgencies. However, usually these bodies have been analysed in the context of one hegemonic faction like the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka and the Afghan Taliban. What is missing so far is an analysis of different pathways of (trans)formation of rebel courts. As exemplified by the three case studies of judicial institutions in Eastern Ghouta, Idlib and Aleppo, these are shaped by the distribution of power between ‘same-side’ groups, yielding unipolar, bipolar, or multipolar constellations. The analysis is located on the meso or movement level of insurgent social structures, complementing research on the micro and macro levels.     

相似分布特性准则下的高斯混合项聚类-合并算法

针对高斯混合模型估计非高斯系统时高斯混合项呈指数级增长问题,提出一种基于相似分布特性准则的聚类-合并方法。通过分析高斯混合项的分布特性,基于扩展积分均方误差代价函数搜索最优置信范围,并对混合项进行高斯聚类,进而获得具有不同分布特性的高斯簇。为防止高斯簇间对高斯子项的重复利用,引入局部最近邻思想对交叉高斯项进行重新分配。采用并行多元素合并方法对高斯簇中的混合项进行合并,在保证无偏性基础上减少下一时刻混合项数量。仿真结果表明,改进算法在保证跟踪精度的同时还可有效提高算法效率。     

指数寿命产品可靠性增长试验的Bayes分析

针对指数寿命产品的定时、定数截尾试验方案,推广了Mazzuchi-Soyer模型的应用范围。首先引入模型假设,以狄氏分布作为先验分布,综合利用产品研制的历史信息和专家信息,结合产品研制各阶段试验数据,给出了各阶段可靠性的联合后验分布。然后利用Gibbs抽样算法解决后验推断计算问题,得到各阶段产品可靠性的Bayes点估计和区间估计。最后给出产品可靠性增长分析实例,表明了模型的优越性。     

逐步Ⅰ型混合截尾试验下Burr部件的可靠性分析

在逐步Ⅰ型混合截尾试验下,研究了Burr部件寿命参数及可靠性指标的极大似然估计和Bayes估计.利用简单迭代方法,给出了寿命参数和可靠性指标的极大似然估计的数值解.然后利用Lindely Bayes近似算法得到了平方损失下寿命参数以及可靠性指标的Bayes估计.最后,运用Monte-Carlo方法对各估计结果作了模拟比较,结果表明Bayes估计较极大似然估计的误差小.     

基于矢量分配的组合导航容错联邦滤波算法

针对高动态环境下飞行器组合导航系统因不确定故障导致导航精度下降的问题,提出了一种基于矢量信息分配的容错联邦滤波算法。设计矢量形式的故障检测函数,对各观测量进行单独的故障程度划分,克服了将故障子系统所有观测量同时隔离的缺陷;根据观测量是否异常,重构时变量测噪声矩阵和信息分配矢量系数,对子滤波器的状态变量进行信息分配,在隔离故障子系统异常观测量的同时,最大限度地利用正确观测信息。仿真结果表明,采用该算法能够充分发挥各导航子系统的优势,极大提高了导航子系统信息利用率,具有较高的精确性和容错性。     

基于核主成分分析的高校科技创新能力评价研究

高校在国家创新体系中占有举足轻重的地位,高校科技创新能力评价研究对提高高校科技创新能力具有积极的意义.基于核主成分分析的评价方法能够有效去除高校科技创新能力评价指标体系中的废咝韵喙匦畔?从而取得较好的评价结果.以15所教育部直属高校科研统计数据为样本,利用核主成分分析法进行了高校科技创新能力评价的实证分析,并与主成分分析结果进行了比较,结果表明,核主成分分析能够取得更高的主特征值累积贡献率,从而产生更为合理的评价结果.     

Scheduling of depalletizing and truck loading operations in a food distribution system

This paper studies a scheduling problem arising in a beef distribution system where pallets of various types of beef products in the warehouse are first depalletized and then individual cases are loaded via conveyors to the trucks which deliver beef products to various customers. Given each customer's demand for each type of beef, the problem is to find a depalletizing and truck loading schedule that fills all the demands at a minimum total cost. We first show that the general problem where there are multiple trucks and each truck covers multiple customers is strongly NP‐hard. Then we propose polynomial‐time algorithms for the case where there are multiple trucks, each covering only one customer, and the case where there is only one truck covering multiple customers. We also develop an optimal dynamic programming algorithm and a heuristic for solving the general problem. By comparing to the optimal solutions generated by the dynamic programming algorithm, the heuristic is shown to be capable of generating near optimal solutions quickly. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2003