‘Fighting for peace’

In Africa, most of the present conflicts are civil, intra-state wars where belligerent groups use guerrilla tactics to achieve various political, economic or ideological objectives. The atrocities and the effect of these on-going wars on innocent civilians, human suffering, poverty and development are beyond comprehension. Not surprisingly, the majority of current peace operations are in Africa, with more than 70 countries contributing forces to these conflict zones. On the continent, South Africa has come to assume a leading role in peace operations and is now a major troop-contributing country to UN and AU missions. In the past 11 years, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has taken part in no fewer than 14 peace missions. This article provides a brief background of the conflicts in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan, the different United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) mandates under which peacekeepers had to operate as well as their objectives, and the extent of South Africa's involvement in the various missions. In the last section, the major challenges, that these operations have posed are highlighted.     

准则权重信息不完全的证据推理多属性决策算法

针对准则权重信息不完全情况下的多属性决策问题,提出了一种新的证据推理多属性决策算法,它通过建立基于证据信息熵的决策模型来求解准则的最优权重系数,利用求解得到的权重系数和递归ER算法求出各方案的效用值,进而得到各方案的优劣次序。最后,通过算例分析验证了该方法的有效性和合理性。     

美军信息系统互操作性测试、验证与评估研究

军事信息系统互操作性是信息化联合作战夺取战场主动权的关键,是武器装备体系综合评估研究的重点之一。通过研究美军信息系统联合互操作性测试、验证的机制与流程,提出了适用于我军的基于就绪网络关键性能参数的信息系统,介绍了美军信息系统互操作性等级(LISI)评估方法与模型,为提高我军信息系统互操作水平提供有意义的参考。     

果蝇算法优化的相关向量机在电子装备中的应用

针对电子装备渐变故障预测问题,提出一种基于果蝇算法优化相关向量机的故障预测方法。该方法将原始时间序列数据进行相空间重构处理,并基于折交叉验证和果蝇算法优化相关向量机模型的核函数参数,从而建立故障预测模型,并以某型雷达发射机速调管监测数据对模型性能进行了验证。实验结果表明,相比已有方法,该方法在全局优化、收敛速度、预测精度以及预测可靠性方面都具有一定优势。     

基于分布式网络化指控体系的协同跟踪设计

针对当前干扰防空环境下的作战特点,通过对网络化作战需求的分析,建立了一种分布式的网络化指挥控制体系架构,并结合协同跟踪的具体作战运用,设计了基于此分布式体系的协同跟踪作战流程,并建立了效能验证模型。对比一般的集中式指挥控制体系,基于分布式的体系具有生存性强、作战使用效能高的特点。     

Capacity investment decisions under risk aversion

This article studies the optimal capacity investment problem for a risk‐averse decision maker. The capacity can be either purchased or salvaged, whereas both involve a fixed cost and a proportional cost/revenue. We incorporate risk preference and use a consumption model to capture the decision maker's risk sensitivity in a multiperiod capacity investment model. We show that, in each period, capacity and consumption decisions can be separately determined. In addition, we characterize the structure of the optimal capacity strategy. When the parameters are stationary, we present certain conditions under which the optimal capacity strategy could be easily characterized by a static two‐sided (s, S) policy, whereby, the capacity is determined only at the beginning of period one, and held constant during the entire planning horizon. It is purchased up to B when the initial capacity is below b, salvaged down to Σ when it is above σ, and remains constant otherwise. Numerical tests are presented to investigate the impact of demand volatility on the optimal capacity strategy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 63: 218–235, 2016     

电流变技术在工程中的应用

电流变液是一种在电场作用下能瞬间从液态变为固态的智能材料．简要介绍了电流变液及电流变效应、电流变液的组成及影响电流变效应的主要因素．综述了国内外电流变技术在工程中的应用研究进展及发展趋向,展望了这一技术在军事领域中的应用前景．     

介子跃迁形状因子的重夸克极限和1/m_Q修正

在BS理论框架下,对0~-→0~-和0~-→1~-(0~-和1~-分别代表赝标介子和矢量介子)跃迁的形状因子进行模型无关的分析.结果表明BS框架既能给出重夸克极限下的自旋—味对称性,又能给出重夸克有效理论关于1/m_Q修正的Luke定理及其它关系.     

A novel DOA estimation algorithm using directional antennas in cylindrical conformal arrays

In this paper, a novel direction of arrival (DOA) estimation algorithm using directional antennas in cy-lindrical conformal arrays (CCAs) is proposed. To eliminate the shadow effect, we divide the CCAs into several subarrays to obtain the complete output vector. Considering the anisotropic radiation pattern of a CCA, which cannot be separated from the manifold matrix, an improved interpolation method is investigated to transform the directional subarray into omnidirectional virtual nested arrays without non-orthogonal perturbation on the noise vector. Then, the cross-correlation matrix (CCM) of the sub-arrays is used to generate the consecutive co-arrays without redundant elements and eliminate the noise vector. Finally, the full-rank equivalent covariance matrix is constructed using the output of co-arrays, and the unitary estimation of the signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques (ESPRIT) is performed on the equivalent covariance matrix to estimate the DOAs with low computational complexity. Numerical simulations verify the superior performance of the proposed algorithm, especially under a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) environment.     

The Organization of the Defense Support System: An Economic Geography Perspective

In the context of restricted budgetary resources and the growing cost of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) activities, a major issue for modern armed forces is to sustain defense platforms. A possible method consists of realizing economies of scale through the concentration of maintenance activities, which involves the spatial reorganization of existing industrial sites dedicated to MRO. This article provides a formalized framework to discuss the optimal organization for the MRO of defense platforms in space. The public planner organizes the maintenance of defense platforms with only two possible spatial configurations. In the dispersed configuration, two industrial production units in charge of the maintenance optimally cover space, whereas in the concentrated configuration, a unique industrial unit covers space. Focusing on the tipping point between the two configurations, the balance of forces between agglomeration and dispersion in defense support activities is described and discussed. On the one hand, economies of scale provide an opportunity to optimize defense support costs, favoring concentration in a unique industrial unit. On the other hand, space causes dispersion to reduce both transport costs and operational social costs. This trade-off illustrates a general principle in spatial economics with an application to MRO production in the French case.