Inventory control and periodic price discounting campaigns

This paper develops an inventory model that determines replenishment strategies for buyers facing situations in which sellers offer price‐discounting campaigns at random times as a way to drive sales or clear excess inventory. Specifically, the model deals with the inventory of a single item that is maintained to meet a constant demand over time. The item can be purchased at two different prices denoted high and low. We assume that the low price goes into effect at random points in time following an exponential distribution and lasts for a random length of time following another exponential distribution. We highlight a replenishment strategy that will lead to the lowest inventory holding and ordering costs possible. This strategy is to replenish inventory only when current levels are below a certain threshold when the low price is offered and the replenishment is to a higher order‐up‐to level than the one currently in use when inventory depletes to zero and the price is high. Our analysis provides new insight into the behavior of the optimal replenishment strategy in response to changes in the ratio of purchase prices together with changes in the ratio of the duration of a low‐price period to that of a high‐price period. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007.     

Rendez‐vous search on a rectangular lattice

In a rendez‐vous search two or more teams called seekers try to minimize the time needed to find each other. In this paper, we consider s seekers in a rectangular lattice of locations where each knows the configuration of the lattice, the distribution of the seekers at time 0, and its own location, but not the location of any other. We measure time discretely, in turns. A meeting takes place when the two seekers reach the same point or adjacent points. The main result is that for any dimension of lattice, any initial distribution of seekers there are optimal strategies for the seekers that converge (in a way we shall make clear) to a center. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007     

Technical note – operational statistics: Properties and the risk‐averse case

Consider a repeated newsvendor problem for managing the inventory of perishable products. When the parameter of the demand distribution is unknown, it has been shown that the traditional separated estimation and optimization (SEO) approach could lead to suboptimality. To address this issue, an integrated approach called operational statistics (OS) was developed by Chu et al., Oper Res Lett 36 (2008) 110–116. In this note, we first study the properties of this approach and compare its performance with that of the traditional SEO approach. It is shown that OS is consistent and superior to SEO. The benefit of using OS is larger when the demand variability is higher. We then generalize OS to the risk‐averse case under the conditional value‐at‐risk (CVaR) criterion. To model risk from both demand sampling and future demand uncertainty, we introduce a new criterion, called the total CVaR, and find the optimal OS under this new criterion. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 62: 206–214, 2015     

On equivalence between the proportionate flow shop and single‐machine scheduling problems

We derive sufficient conditions which, when satisfied, guarantee that an optimal solution for a single‐machine scheduling problem is also optimal for the corresponding proportionate flow shop scheduling problem. We then utilize these sufficient conditions to show the solvability in polynomial time of numerous proportionate flow shop scheduling problems with fixed job processing times, position‐dependent job processing times, controllable job processing times, and also problems with job rejection. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 62: 595–603, 2015     

Optimal pricing and scheduling control of product shipping

In this article, we seek to understand how a capacity‐constrained seller optimally prices and schedules product shipping to customers who are heterogeneous on willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to wait (WTW). The capacity‐constrained seller does not observe each customer's WTP and WTW and knows only the aggregate distributions of WTP and WTW. The seller's problem is modeled as an M/M/N_s queueing model with multiclass customers and multidimensional information screening. We contribute to the literature by providing an optimal and efficient algorithm. Furthermore, we numerically find that customers with a larger waiting cost enjoys a higher scheduling priority, but customers with higher valuation do not necessarily get a higher scheduling priority. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 62: 215–227, 2015     

适用于海底观测网络的恒流远供系统可靠性分析方法

以水下单元的短路/开路故障模式为基础,提出一种分析缆系海底观测网络恒流远供系统可靠性的方法。根据系统供电和结构特性,将系统分成不同的供电链路和链路段。详细研究处于不同位置的各种水下单元发生故障时,对链路和观测设备的供电状态的影响。归纳导致系统和各链路无法正常导通、观测设备无法得到供电的状态情况,分析不同故障状态发生的概率,进而得出求解系统、供电链路与供电设备的供电可靠度的方法。通过算例分析,进一步梳理了3种供电可靠性的共性规律,说明在设计和建设恒流远供系统时,应综合考量这3种供电可靠性。     

顶部开口条件下油罐油气爆炸数值模拟

根据油罐油气爆炸特性,基于RNG k-ε湍流模型、Finate-Rate/Eddy-Dissipation化学反应模型和相应的控制方程,采用SIMPLE算法对顶部开口条件下油气爆炸发生与发展过程进行了数值模拟。基于数值模拟结果分析了顶部开口条件下油罐油气爆炸罐外超压和火焰特征,与实验结果吻合良好,该模型可以用来预测顶部开口条件下油罐油气爆炸强度。     

New results on a stochastic duel game with each force consisting of heterogeneous units

Two forces engage in a duel, with each force initially consisting of several heterogeneous units. Each unit can be assigned to fire at any opposing unit, but the kill rate depends on the assignment. As the duel proceeds, each force—knowing which units are still alive in real time—decides dynamically how to assign its fire, in order to maximize the probability of wiping out the opposing force before getting wiped out. It has been shown in the literature that an optimal pure strategy exists for this two‐person zero‐sum game, but computing the optimal strategy remained cumbersome because of the game's huge payoff matrix. This article gives an iterative algorithm to compute the optimal strategy without having to enumerate the entire payoff matrix, and offers some insights into the special case, where one force has only one unit. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 61: 56–65, 2014     

基于开放环境的P2P网络主动型蠕虫传播模型

P2P网络主动型蠕虫采用主动扫描邻居节点信息的策略,能在短时间内破坏整个P2P网络,成为网络信息系统最为严重的安全威胁。结合主动型蠕虫的传播特点,考虑开放的P2P网络环境对蠕虫传播的影响,弥补现有模型忽略P2P网络动态性的不足,建立了基于开放环境的P2P网络蠕虫传播模型。与双因素模型相比较,该模型能更客观地反映现实网络中蠕虫的传播情况,在此基础上从初始已感染主机数、感染率、免疫率3方面定量分析了蠕虫的传播规律。仿真结果表明,感染率和免疫率是影响蠕虫传播的关键因素。     

舰船装备远程维修支援体系研究

借用20世纪90年代初期中国学者提出的开放的复杂巨系统理论,以及处理开放的复杂巨系统的方法论——从定性到定量的综合集成法,揭示了舰船装备远程维修支援体系的本质是一个人机共栖的开放的复杂巨系统;给出了描述系统的基于Agent的一般框架和在巨系统理论指导下研究远程故障诊断问题的思路;最后提出了需要进一步研究的几个问题。