The symbolic politics of ballistic missile defense: seeking the perfect defense in an imperfect world

Ballistic missile defense (BMD) politics present an interesting evolution in how the USA, especially Congress, has come to think about BMD both as operational reality and as a symbolic policy. The argument here is that BMD's operational reality is increasingly overshadowed by its symbolic aspects. Such a status arose from rapidly changing international and domestic politics. The end result is a situation in which BMD policy in a sense floats above the question of its actual combat effectiveness. Its primary mission in part is sustaining US capacity to remain a global power and support its allies.     

基于Entropy-Topsis的水面舰艇编队防空配置方案优选研究

合理配置编队防空舰艇是提高编队对空防御作战效能的一项重要手段。以两型四舰六扇面的典型配置方案优选为研究对象,建立了配置方案评价指标体系及相应数学模型,构建了编队防空舰艇配置方案优选问题的决策矩阵,应用Entropy?Topsis模型进行优选,对各方案进行排名,并得到了相应最优解和最劣解。     

Designing rewards-based crowdfunding campaigns for strategic (but distracted) contributors

In rewards-based crowdfunding, entrepreneurs solicit donations from a large number of individual contributors. If total donations exceed a prespecified funding target, the entrepreneur distributes nonmonetary rewards to contributors; otherwise, their donations are refunded. We study how to design such campaigns when contributors choose not just whether to contribute, but also when to contribute. We show that strategic contribution behavior—when contributors intentionally delay until campaign success is likely—can arise from the combination of nonrefundable (potentially very small) hassle costs and the risk of campaign failure, and can explain pledging patterns commonly observed in crowdfunding. Furthermore, such delays do not hurt the entrepreneur if contributors are perfectly rational, but they do if contributors are distracted, that is, if they might fail to return to the campaign after an intentional delay. To mitigate this, we find that an entrepreneur can use a simple menu of rewards with a fixed number of units sold at a low price, and an unlimited number sold at a higher price; this segments contributors over time based on the information they observe upon arrival. We show that, despite its simplicity, such a menu performs well compared to a theoretically optimal menu consisting of an infinite number of different rewards and price levels under many conditions.     

Due‐window assignment with unit processing‐time jobs

In due‐window assignment problems, jobs completed within a designated time interval are regarded as being on time, whereas early and tardy jobs are penalized. The objective is to determine the location and size of the due‐window, as well as the job schedule. We address a common due‐window assignment problem on parallel identical machines with unit processing time jobs. We show that the number of candidate values for the optimal due‐window starting time and for the optimal due‐window completion time are bounded by 2. We also prove that the starting time of the first job on each of the machines is either 0 or 1, thus introducing a fairly simple, constant‐time solution for the problem. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2004     

末端防御武器系统的人机一体化

如何实现人在末端防御武器系统运行中所应该起的作用,并为实现这些作用提供必需的保障,对末端防御武器系统的研制、试验和使用至关重要。要做到这一点,应该通过自顶向下的人机一体化的需求分析,确定人在系统中所应完成的作用并且明确为完成此作用而对系统提出的要求。系统的设计应该遵循人机一体化的原则,提高系统的自动化程度,减少人的工作负荷,减少人员配备。系统要保障人为完成其作用而所需的条件,向人提供有关完成其作用所必需的知识,使人在执行其所担负的任务中不出差错。     

Optimal path finding in direction,location, and time dependent environments

This article examines optimal path finding problems where cost function and constraints are direction, location, and time dependent. Recent advancements in sensor and data‐processing technology facilitate the collection of detailed real‐time information about the environment surrounding a ground vehicle, an airplane, or a naval vessel. We present a navigation model that makes use of such information. We relax a number of assumptions from existing literature on path‐finding problems and create an accurate, yet tractable, model suitable for implementation for a large class of problems. We present a dynamic programming model which integrates our earlier results for direction‐dependent, time and space homogeneous environment, and consequently, improves its accuracy, efficiency, and run‐time. The proposed path finding model also addresses limited information about the surrounding environment, control‐feasibility of the considered paths, such as sharpest feasible turns a vehicle can make, and computational demands of a time‐dependent environment. To demonstrate the applicability and performance of our path‐finding algorithm, computational experiments for a short‐range ship routing in dynamic wave‐field problem are presented. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2012     

Averaging frameworks for simulation optimization with applications to simulated annealing

We present two frameworks for designing random search methods for discrete simulation optimization. One of our frameworks is very broad (in that it includes many random search methods), whereas the other one considers a special class of random search methods called point‐based methods, that move iteratively between points within the feasible region. Our frameworks involve averaging, in that all decisions that require estimates of the objective function values at various feasible solutions are based on the averages of all observations collected at these solutions so far. Also, the methods are adaptive in that they can use information gathered in previous iterations to decide how simulation effort is expended in the current iteration. We show that the methods within our frameworks are almost surely globally convergent under mild conditions. Thus, the generality of our frameworks and associated convergence guarantees makes the frameworks useful to algorithm developers wishing to design efficient and rigorous procedures for simulation optimization. We also present two variants of the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm and provide their convergence analysis as example application of our point‐based framework. Finally, we provide numerical results that demonstrate the empirical effectiveness of averaging and adaptivity in the context of SA. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2012     

Optimal inventory control policy for periodic‐review inventory systems with inventory‐level‐dependent demand

We consider a setting in which inventory plays both promotional and service roles; that is, higher inventories not only improve service levels but also stimulate demand by serving as a promotional tool (e.g., as the result of advertising effect by the enhanced product visibility). Specifically, we study the periodic‐review inventory systems in which the demand in each period is uncertain but increases with the inventory level. We investigate the multiperiod model with normal and expediting orders in each period, that is, any shortage will be met through emergency replenishment. Such a model takes the lost sales model as a special case. For the cases without and with fixed order costs, the optimal inventory replenishment policy is shown to be of the base‐stock type and of the (s,S) type, respectively. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2012     

Irreducibility of joint inventory positions in an assemble‐to‐order system under (r,nQ) policies

In a typical assemble‐to‐order system, a customer order may request multiple items, and the order may not be filled if any of the requested items are out of stock. A key customer service measure when unfilled orders are backordered is the order‐based backorder level. To evaluate this crucial performance measure, a fundamental question is whether the stationary joint inventory positions follow an independent and uniform distribution. In this context, this is equivalent to the irreducibility of the Markov chain formed by the joint inventory positions. This article presents a necessary and sufficient condition for the irreducibility of such a Markov chain through a set of simultaneous Diophantine equations. This result also leads to sufficient conditions that are more general than those in the published reports. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2011     

潜用自航式声诱饵发展有关问题探讨

对潜用自航式声诱饵发展的有关问题进行了探讨.从潜艇防御作战的特点和对手情况出发,研究了潜用自航式声诱饵所担负的作战使命,提出了受迫式和主动式使用自航式声诱饵的概念,分析了各种反潜兵力、反潜兵器和海底反潜网所具有的反水声对抗能力,以此为基础,探索现代潜用自航式声诱饵所应具备的功能.指出了潜用自航式声诱饵应具备声学、运动和尺度三维的诱骗能力,此外,潜用自航式声诱饵还应具备固定弹道射击控制模式、实时规划弹道射击控制模式等战术使用功能.