Designing and pricing menus of extended warranty contracts

Extended warranties provide “piece of mind” to a consumer in that product failures which occur after the base warranty expires are rectified at little or no cost. They also provide an additional source of revenue for manufacturers or third‐party providers, such as retailers or insurance providers, and help cultivate consumer loyalty. In this article, we analyze a number of extended warranty contracts which differ in design, including restrictions on deferrals and renewals. With the use of dynamic programming, we compute the optimal strategy for a consumer with perfect information and determine the optimal pricing policy for the provider given the consumer's risk characterization. We also provide insight into when different contracts should be issued. Finally, we illustrate how profits can be dramatically increased by offering menus of warranty contracts, as opposed to stand alone contracts, with the use of integer programming. Surprisingly, risk‐taking consumers provide the greatest benefit to offering menus. These insights can help a company develop a comprehensive warranty planning strategy for given products or product lines. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 2009     

面向普适计算应用的构件定义语言UCDL

普适计算的适应性特征对于软件重用的要求决定了构件模型是目前普适计算软件体系结构的理想选择.在面向普适计算的自适应软件平台UbiStar的研究过程中,为了准确地对普适应用中构件的外部特征进行抽象描述,参考了CORBA构件模型使用IDL3和CIDL对构件进行特征抽象的方法,结合UbiStar普适计算平台的特点与需求,提出了一种适用于普适计算环境的构件定义语言UCDL,并且给出了一个应用示例.     

信息中心网络缓存节点位置选择算法

信息中心网络（Information-Centric Networking, ICN）“泛在缓存”的特性,引发数据副本率过高、缓存空间不能充分利用等问题。为了解决上述问题,分别从用户、服务提供商和网络运营商的角度出发,以最小化网络流量与网络费用开销为优化目标建立两个单目标优化模型,并将二者结合为帕累托模型;基于帕累托求解方法中数学规划法的思想,详细描述缓存节点位置选择算法。仿真结果表明：在流量性价比方面,所提缓存节点选择算法优于ICN的默认缓存机制;在网络费用开销方面,所提算法更适用于只有少数内容较为流行的网络中,而在所有内容都流行的情况下,ICN中默认的“遍地缓存”机制更为适宜。     

The Gravity of Arms

The aim of this paper is to investigate the determinants of international arms transfers in a gravity model framework. By distinguishing between the decision to export arms (extensive margin) and the value of the arms exported (intensive margin), while also considering its interdependence, is what differentiates this paper from previous research. A theoretically justified gravity model of trade augmented with political and security motives is estimated using a two-stage panel data approach for 104 exporting countries over the period from 1950 to 2007. In addition to the usual gravity variables related to the economic mass of the trading countries and the trade cost factors, the model is extended with political and security factors. The level of democracy in both trading partners, political differences between trading partners and voting similarity with the United States in the UN General Assembly of the countries engaged in trade are the main political factors, whereas the existence of conflicts, military pacts, and embargoes are taken as security motives. The key result indicates that both political and security motives are an important determinant of an arms trade, but their effects on the extensive margin of exports (the decision to order a transfer) differs from their effect on the intensive margin (average value of exports). Moreover, the relative importance of the factors under study has changed since 1989. In the post-cold war period, countries that are less democratic are more likely to export arms, military pacts are less relevant and embargoes play a role.     

Dynamic server assignment policies for assembly‐type queues with flexible servers

We seek dynamic server assignment policies in finite‐capacity queueing systems with flexible and collaborative servers, which involve an assembly and/or a disassembly operation. The objective is to maximize the steady‐state throughput. We completely characterize the optimal policy for a Markovian system with two servers, two feeder stations, and instantaneous assembly and disassembly operations. This optimal policy allocates one server per station unless one of the stations is blocked, in which case both servers work at the unblocked station. For Markovian systems with three stations and instantaneous assembly and/or disassembly operations, we consider similar policies that move a server away from his/her “primary” station only when that station is blocked or starving. We determine the optimal assignment of each server whose primary station is blocked or starving in systems with three stations and zero buffers, by formulating the problem as a Markov decision process. Using this optimal assignment, we develop heuristic policies for systems with three or more stations and positive buffers, and show by means of a numerical study that these policies provide near‐optimal throughput. Furthermore, our numerical study shows that these policies developed for assembly‐type systems also work well in tandem systems. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2008     

Dynamic inventory management with cash flow constraints

In this article, we consider a classic dynamic inventory control problem of a self‐financing retailer who periodically replenishes its stock from a supplier and sells it to the market. The replenishment decisions of the retailer are constrained by cash flow, which is updated periodically following purchasing and sales in each period. Excess demand in each period is lost when insufficient inventory is in stock. The retailer's objective is to maximize its expected terminal wealth at the end of the planning horizon. We characterize the optimal inventory control policy and present a simple algorithm for computing the optimal policies for each period. Conditions are identified under which the optimal control policies are identical across periods. We also present comparative statics results on the optimal control policy. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 2008     

Optimum step‐stress accelerated life test plans for log‐location‐scale distributions

This article presents new tools and methods for finding optimum step‐stress accelerated life test plans. First, we present an approach to calculate the large‐sample approximate variance of the maximum likelihood estimator of a quantile of the failure time distribution at use conditions from a step‐stress accelerated life test. The approach allows for multistep stress changes and censoring for general log‐location‐scale distributions based on a cumulative exposure model. As an application of this approach, the optimum variance is studied as a function of shape parameter for both Weibull and lognormal distributions. Graphical comparisons among test plans using step‐up, step‐down, and constant‐stress patterns are also presented. The results show that depending on the values of the model parameters and quantile of interest, each of the three test plans can be preferable in terms of optimum variance. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2008     

一种高效的显式模型检验方法

随着软硬件系统规模和功能的不断扩充,状态空间爆炸问题严重影响了模型检验的进一步发展与应用,成为验证大规模系统的瓶颈.在显式模型检验工具Murphi的基础上,针对其可达状态空间组织存在的问题进行改进,提出了基于整型指针与Fibonacci散列的可达状态空间组织方法,实现了一个高效的显式模型检验原型系统,在确保验证正确的同时有效缩短了验证时间,并能在系统规范不可满足的情况下给出反例,有助于系统设计人员快速定位错误.理论分析和实验结果表明了本方法的有效性.     

布尔函数的Walsh谱绝对值分布及其性质研究

提出并研究了布尔函数的Walsh谱绝对值分布.指出布尔函数Walsh谱绝对值分布在仿射变换下的不变性,计算了n(n≤5)元布尔函数的Walsh谱绝对值分布,研究了Walsh谱绝对值分布与Walsh谱支撑和Walsh谱中非零取值个数以及其他一些密码学难题的联系,最后研究了布尔函数的Walsh谱绝对值分布的大小.     

穿甲子弹垂直侵彻防弹钢试验与理论模型

试验研究了穿甲子弹垂直侵彻高强防弹钢的机理,提出了一个分析靶板极限速度和弹体剩余速度的理论模型,该模型综合考虑了材料的应变率与热软化效应,结果表明,理论值与试验值吻合很好.分析了失效准则的影响,研究了剪切带温度和靶板耗能随入射速度的变化规律.