Does Military Spending Nonlinearly Affect Economic Growth in South Africa?

Using annual data collected from 1988 to 2015, this study provides evidence of a non-linear relationship between military spending, economic growth and other growth determinants for the South African economy. The empirical study is based on estimates of a logistic smooth transition regression (LSTR) model and our empirical results point to an inverted U-shaped relationship between military spending and economic growth for the data. Furthermore, our empirical results suggest that the current levels of military spending, as a component of total government expenditure, are too high in the South African economy and need to be transferred towards more productive non-military expenditure in order to improve the performance of economic growth and other growth determinants.     

基于椭圆曲线群上的零知识证明

通过研究椭圆曲线群,给出基于其上的2个零知识证明方案,这2个方案均使得甲方向乙方宣称自己拥有某种信息,并通过互动证明使其确信具有该信息,但同时还未泄漏该信息。     

基于正态分布曲线的分段式变步长LMS算法

针对传统最小均方误差(Least Mean Square, LMS)自适应滤波算法由于步长固定,在解决稳态误差与收敛性之间的关系时,始终处于矛盾状态的问题,在对传统的固定步长LMS自适应滤波算法分析的基础上,根据变步长LMS自适应滤波算法的步长调整原则,通过构造步长因子与误差信号的非线性函数,提出了一种基于正态分布曲线的分段式变步长LMS自适应滤波算法,并分析了参数取值对算法性能的影响。针对实际信号处理过程中参考信号难以选取的问题,提出了一种基于分裂阵的参考信号选取方法。理论和海试数据分析结果表明:该算法的收敛速度和稳态误差明显优于固定步长的LMS自适应滤波算法和基于Sigmoid函数的变步长LMS自适应滤波算法。     

测试性增长中资源优化配置模型及求解

良好的测试性设计对系统维修性具有重要意义,测试性增长试验通过一系列测试性设计缺陷发现和纠正措施,可保证系统测试性指标达到设计要求。针对基于延缓纠正的测试性增长过程中的资源配置问题进行研究,基于增长试验目标是否明确和试验资源是否受限制问题构建资源优化配置模型,并提出一种基于拉格朗日松弛和本地搜索的快速优化算法。仿真结果表明:该模型能够有效指导测试性增长中的资源优化配置问题,所提混合优化方法能够高效、准确地求解整数规划问题。     

“Made in China”: an emerging brand in the global arms market

Possession of a brand is a sine qua non for economic success, not least because it connotes trust in delivering the value promised. Although Western arms exporters offer branded systems whose sales are influenced by price, there is a plethora of other economic variables, such as offset requirements and life-cycle support. Entrants to the international arms market will struggle without such arms “packages.” China’s entry, however, goes beyond the traditional economic paradigm. A four-stage historical model offers the backdrop for identifying the drivers that have forged its market entry into 55 countries worldwide. The strategy initially focused on sales of rudimentary military equipment for political purposes, but recently it has begun to commercialize exports, repositioning them from a low- to a high-tech sales trajectory. A Sino “brand” is thus emerging, reflecting both competitiveness and diplomatic considerations, especially non-interference in client state domestic affairs.     

变距离静电电位检测研究

针对现有非接触式静电检测装置存在检测距离近且距离固定等问题,提出了对电位测量进行距离补偿的变距离静电电位检测方案。首先,从电位测量的基本原理出发,分析了距离测量误差与电位测量误差的关系,验证了精确测距的重要性,即要满足电位测量相对误差σV≤±10%,所选测距方式的距离测量相对误差-4.65%≤σd0≤5.41%的技术指标。然后,通过实验研究了检测距离与感应电位的关系,验证了0.5 m内对静电电位变距离测量的可行性,得到了对电位测量进行距离补偿的公式雏形Vs(V a,d)=Va(a+bd)c。依据此公式雏形以及大量的重复实验,可以得到公式中的各项参数值,编入单片机可实现对静电电位的变距离检测。     

碳纤维混凝土单轴受压应力-应变本构关系

碳纤维混凝土受压应力-应变全曲线研究是对其基本力学性能进行全面认识的基础,也是表现碳纤维混凝土基本受压特性的综合宏观反映。对9组（碳纤维体积分数分别为0,0.2%,0.4%,0.6%,0.8%,1.0%,1.2%,1.4%,1.6%）碳纤维混凝土试件进行了立方体和棱柱体抗压强度试验,结果表明碳纤维混凝土立方体和棱柱体抗压强度随碳纤维体积分数的增加呈下降趋势,峰值应变随碳纤维体积分数的增加呈增大趋势。基于各体积分数碳纤维混凝土的棱柱体抗压强度和峰值应变的试验数据,拟合得到了棱柱体抗压强度和峰值应变与体积分数之间的函数表达式。利用微机控制电液伺服压力试验机测定了9组碳纤维混凝土应力-应变全曲线,参照非线弹性理论的混凝土单轴受压应力-应变本构模型,根据测得的全曲线应力-应变数据,拟合得到了应力-应变全曲线上升段表达式参数和下降段表达式参数,最后给出了基于碳纤维体积分数变化的碳纤维混凝土单轴受压应力-应变本构方程。     

MILITARY SPENDING AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN SRI LANKA: A TIME SERIES ANALYSIS

In this paper, we employ a VAR analysis to examine the nexus between military spending and economic growth in Sri Lanka which, due to the civil war there, has witnessed a significant increase in military spending over the last three decades while also recording healthy economic growth. The study finds that, compared with non‐military spending, military spending exerts only a minimal positive impact on real GDP. Over a 10‐year period, a 1% increase in non‐military spending increases GDP by 1.6%. In contrast, military spending only increases GDP by 0.05%, suggesting that the economic benefits for Sri Lanka from a sustained peace may be considerable.     

Military Debt: Perspectives from the Experience of Arab Countries

The sectoral production function model of Feder (1983) has been widely used to examine the link between defence spending and economic growth. In this paper, the model, for which too much has been claimed in some past work, is examined, and the case is made for using growth in real non‐defence output rather than growth in real aggregate output (inclusive of military spending) as the dependent variable. Attention is restricted to a small group of OECD countries for which reliable labour force and capital stock (as well as defence) data are obtainable. With non‐defence output as the dependent variable and using only high quality data, no evidence in favour of the underconsumptionist (as opposed to the defence as a burden) position is found.     

A case study of redundant defence workers

In this article, the influence of conflict on the economies of neighbouring countries is discussed. The results from previous papers show a strong negative effect for an entire area around a country suffering from conflict, but this paper reaches a different conclusion, by using more recent data and adjusting the methodology previously employed. Additionally, a new type of contiguity matrix is constructed and used in the actual analysis. The final analysis consists of a large number of regressions and concludes that conflict actually has two opposing effects. First, like conflict countries themselves, directly contiguous countries actually suffer from the negative effects of proximate conflict. Secondly, however, there is also a positive spillover of conflict, which affects non‐contiguous countries and this effect is larger for countries that are closer to the conflict country. The results from the paper predominantly hold for the most violent kind of conflict.