Balancing stability and efficiency in team formation as a generalized roommate problem

The assignment of personnel to teams is a fundamental managerial function typically involving several objectives and a variety of idiosyncratic practical constraints. Despite the prevalence of this task in practice, the process is seldom approached as an optimization problem over the reported preferences of all agents. This is due in part to the underlying computational complexity that occurs when intra-team interpersonal interactions are taken into consideration, and also due to game-theoretic considerations, when those taking part in the process are self-interested agents. Variants of this fundamental decision problem arise in a number of settings, including, for example, human resources and project management, military platooning, ride sharing, data clustering, and in assigning students to group projects. In this article, we study an analytical approach to “team formation” focused on the interplay between two of the most common objectives considered in the related literature: economic efficiency (i.e., the maximization of social welfare) and game-theoretic stability (e.g., finding a core solution when one exists). With a weighted objective across these two goals, the problem is modeled as a bi-level binary optimization problem, and transformed into a single-level, exponentially sized binary integer program. We then devise a branch-cut-and-price algorithm and demonstrate its efficacy through an extensive set of simulations, with favorable comparisons to other algorithms from the literature.     

The effect of deployment on first‐ and second‐term re‐enlistment in the US active duty force

Why should deployment affect re‐enlistment? In our model, members enter the military with naïve beliefs about deployment and use actual deployment experience to update their beliefs and revise their expected utility of re‐enlisting. Empirically, re‐enlistment is related to the type and number of deployments, consistent with the learning model. Non‐hostile deployment increases first‐term re‐enlistment but hostile deployment has little effect except for the Army, where the effect is positive. Both types increase second‐term re‐enlistment. Interestingly, first‐term members with dependants tend to respond to deployment like second‐term members. In addition, deployment acts directly to affect re‐enlistment, not indirectly through time to promotion.     

Aid versus sanctions for taming oppressors: theory and case study of the Iraqi Kurds

We model an oppressor aiming at victimizing an excluded group in his country, with two main variants. A foreign power affects his behaviour using either conditional aid, subject to the dictator’s participation constraint, or the threat of sanctions, broadly defined, subject to the credibility constraint. The choice between the two is either determined by the latter, or by their relative cost. Aid is preferred when the threat of sanctions is ineffective, and sanctions are too expensive. Sanctions might be imposed, if the threat is ineffective. A case study of the Iraqi Kurds after Iraq was subject to sanctions is presented.     

TERRORISM: FACTS FROM FIGURES 1

If international terrorism is on a rising trend, an important source of confirmation or refutation of this is time‐series data on terrorist activity. Using chiefly data collected by the RAND/MIPT consortium we show using basic statistical analysis that in the period 1968–2005 the yearly number of all international terrorist incidents shows no trend over time, but fluctuates year on year in a random manner. On the other hand some indicators do show a definite trend over time, principally the steady rise in the number of incidents that are death‐dealing in nature. A further conclusion is drawn, showing that the proportion of these incidents leading to deaths above a given level is virtually fixed.     

The view from above: how the Royal Air Force provided a strategic vision for operational intelligence during the Malayan Emergency

It has long been held that the Federation of Malaya’s counter-insurgency campaign during the First Malayan Emergency (1948–60) was determined by the use of intelligence. Special Branch — the Federation’s primary intelligence agency — dominates the prevailing paradigm of how the insurgent threat was tackled. Conversely, the role of the Royal Air Force (RAF) within this paradigm is very limited. Most observers simply dismiss the role of photoreconnaissance or airstrikes as being largely inconsequential to the counter-insurgency effort. This is perhaps understandable: the Emergency was after all a ‘policing action’ and the insurgents were largely hidden under Malaya’s jungle canopy and amongst the Chinese community. However, further scrutiny reveals that the RAF made a much more significant contribution to the intelligence element of the counter-insurgency campaign than previously realised. First, the RAF decided to locate their Advanced Headquarters with the Army’s General Headquarters. This led to the creation of the Land/Air Operations Room, through which intelligence, tasking and resources were coordinated. Moreover, the RAF put its intelligence teams into the field to provide a practical link between local units and theatre-level assets. Second, with the support of the Army, the RAF established at the beginning of the Emergency the Joint Air Photographic Intelligence Board (Far East). This coordinated all photographic intelligence requirements throughout the Emergency, which was then delivered via the Joint Air Photographic Centre (Far East). Hence, via Joint Operations Centre and JAPIB (FE), the RAF provided both the practical means for effective joint intelligence operations at theatre level throughout the Emergency.     

精密加工过程切削用量和表面粗糙度关系的模糊化处理方法

在金属切削原理中,用切削用量可以估计理论表面粗糙度。由于切削过程的复杂性,实际加工表面粗糙度和理论表面粗糙度有较大差距。本文采用模糊模式识别方法,对切削用量和表面粗糙度的关系进行了实验研究。本人介绍的理论方法、实现技术路线和实验结果,为以后开展ＦＭＳ或ＣＩＭＳ中智能化质量监控技术的进一步研究打下了基础。     

轮式装甲车辆的几何通过性建模与仿真

介绍了轮式装甲车辆通过障碍物的规则,分析了几何障碍物属性和通过判断条件,针对几何障碍物属性,提出了几何障碍物的通过算法,建立了几何通过性模型。采用VC＋＋编程对模型进行了仿真,通过仿真实验验证了算法和模型的可行性。     

履带车辆转向性能指标分析及实验研究

转向性能是评价履带车辆机动性的重要指标之一.文中针对转向角速度、转向半径和转向消耗功率3个指标,分别在不考虑履带滑转滑移的理想条件下和考虑履带滑转滑移的实际情况下,对履带车辆的转向性能进行了讨论和分析,对2种条件下履带车辆的转向性能的变化进行了比较.为了对履带车辆在转向过程中履带的滑转和滑移程度进行定量的分析,定义了履带的滑转和滑移系数.通过实车实验,对分析结果进行了验证.     

几何内蕴量对拉伸模具工作面力学性能的影响

曲率、度规不变量、凸凹性等几何内蕴量的不均匀分布直接影响模具的力学性能。本文研究了曲率与变形能、曲率与摩擦耗损功、度规不变量与热辐射、凸凹分布与辐射热通量等几何内蕴量与力学量之间的关系。结果表明:复杂曲面表面高斯曲率的不连续分布将导致表面的变形能、摩擦耗损功出现相应的不连续分布;型面上沿拉伸方向截面线的法曲率越小,摩擦耗损功越大;型面上的热通量会随着拐点数量的增加而增加。这些结果为模具表面优化设计提供了新的理论依据。     

基于纯方位信息的目标跟踪线性修正模型?

在基于几何关系的纯方位航迹不变量信息处理过程中,对非线性模型进行细致分析,提出了线性修正模型,在处理问题时更加清晰、可靠,减小了大量的计算和计算误差,使纯方位信息的非线性处理实用化。